Don't Stop Believing
by kidadigasha
Summary: Fayth Henderson fell in love with Reid Garwin when they were children, but when he turned thirteen he ditched her to protect her. Five years later, they run into each other again and old feelings resurface. Will they listen their heads or their hearts?
1. Chapter 1

"_Things are going to change," the boy said, looking out over the yard from his position on the branch._

"_What do you mean?" the girl asked from beside him, leaning against the trunk with her hand holding onto a smaller branch._

"_When I turn thirteen, things will change," the boy answered, his eyes still on the yard below them. "I don't think we'll be able to be friends."_

"_Why?" _

"_Just… because."_

"_But we've been friends since we were six," the girl stated. Why was he saying this kind of stuff?_

"_And in a week, I'll be thirteen."_

"_So? I'll be thirteen in a month, too. What's the big deal?"_

"_Look, we just can't be friends anymore," the boy said angrily as he began to climb down the tree._

"_Reid, wait. Why not?" the girl asked, following him. "What does turning thirteen have to do with anything?"_

"_It'll change everything!" He jumped to the ground and began running. "Fayth, we're not friends anymore!"_

_She stopped halfway down the tree and watched his retreating form. Tears pressed into her eyes and silently rolled down her cheeks. How could he be so mean? Didn't he realize that what they had was perfect? Didn't he realize how she felt about him? As the boy's form grew smaller, something in her chest broke and the tears ran faster. Inhaling shakily, she repeated what her mother had always told her. "Don't stop believing."_

"Hey, Nicky, thanks for letting them do this," Fayth Henderson said, turning from the small stage to face the owner of the bar.

"Ah, no problem, Fayth. It's a real help to me, actually," the man answered, smiling.

"No, seriously Nick. This is great," Ryan Wolfe added, hopping off the stage, his short shaggy dark hair bouncing on his head. "I'm going to grab the last mic from the truck." He disappeared out the back door.

"Dudes, this is going to be awesome!" Kyle Andrews said happily, running a hand through his messy light brown hair.

The bar owner's somewhat large body trembled as he chuckled. "Really, it's no problem. With the juke box broken, I need some entertainment for my customers."

Christina Lawmen slung her arm over Fayth's shoulders. "Well we're happy to help."

"You said you know a ton of songs?" Nicky asked as Ryan reentered the bar carrying the microphone.

"Yeah," Christina answered. "We know a bunch that were on the juke box, so people can request if they want. If not, we'll just play whatever."

The man nodded. "Okay. Well, the doors open in half an hour. Think you can be ready by then?"

"Yeah, we're just about done anyways," Kyle said as he walked about the stage, doing one last equipment check.

Nicky nodded and left to finish preparing for the customers. Sighing, Fayth turned to her friends. "Hey, Ry, Ky, can you finish setting up so Chris and I can get ready?"

The two boys nodded. "Yeah. Go ahead."

Christina jumped from the stage and followed Fayth into the bathroom. Stopping in front of the mirror, she examined herself. Her dark red hair hung around her shoulders in wavy curls, and her dark blue eyes were framed with black eyeliner and mascara. Her thin lips were painted with clear gloss, and her silver hoops hung from her ears, glinting in the light. Her black tank top clung to her body, showing off her curves and contrasting to her somewhat pale skin. Her baggy dark green cargo pants hung loosely around her hips, the small gap between the shirt the pants revealing a sliver of her midriff, and the top of her blue and black crescent moon tattoo peeked out over her cargos.

"This is going to be great."

Fayth looked at her best friend and smiled. "Yeah, you guys rock. Everyone'll love you." Her mind wandered back to the question she'd been asking herself all day. Would he be here? He went to Spencer Academy, and it was a well known fact that most of Spencer hung out at the bar on weekends. Would she see him? Would he even remember her?

The brunette girl nodded. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and her bright green eyes, like Fayth's, were framed with black eyeliner and mascara. Her red shirt cut off about two inches above her belly button, and her own dark cargo pants hung low, her belly ring fully visible. "It kinda sucks that we can't sing our stuff, though."

Fayth shrugged. "Yeah. But it's still good practice." Pulling out her cell phone, she glanced at the time and then stuffed it back into her pocket. "Alright. Let's help Ryan and Kyle finish."

The crowd stood around the stage, curious. The bar owner stood at the main mic, the band behind him. Fayth leaned against the stage and looked around the crowd. Christina and Ryan stood in front of Kyle's drum set with their guitars.

"I know this is different than normal," Nicky began. "But the juke box is busted, so I found an alternative." He waved his hand, indicating the band behind him. "They've agreed to step in so that you guys can still have some fun. So here's Hell's Angels!" The crowd clapped as he stepped down, but the sound sounded like it was more out of manners than excitement.

Plastering a smile on her face, Christina stepped forward. "Hey everyone! Like Nicky said, we're Hells' Angels, and we'll be your juke box for this evening. If you have any requests, let us know. Otherwise just enjoy the music and have fun!" Again the crowd clapped, and again it sounded forced. Looking back at the guys, she nodded. The first beat of the drums started, followed closely by the guitars. Taking a deep breath, Christina began the first song by Pat Benatar.

Fayth's eyes scanned the crowd and as the music pounded through her, she felt herself relaxing. People began bouncing their heads and moving their bodies slightly. Christina's voice rang from the speakers and into the crowd. Fayth's hips found the beat and she swayed next to the stage, letting her friend's music flow through her.

The last cord rang through the bar, and the crowd cheered as the first chord in the next song began. Taking a deep breath, Christina opened her mouth and let the words flow freely from it. Fayth found her eyes searching the crowd for what they shouldn't. It had been five years. She should be over it. But she couldn't stop scanning the crowd.

An hour later, people were dancing, eating, and doing whatever they normally did on Friday nights at Nicky's. Christina stepped back from the microphone and looked at the band, her lips pulled up in a huge smile and sweat dotting her face. Taking a five minute break, they each gulped down water as the bar owner leaned on the stage. Fayth jumped up with them.

"Great job, guys. The customer's love it," Nicky said.

Christina smiled. "Thanks, Nick."

He nodded once and then disappeared in the crowd.

"This is great!" Fayth squealed. "They love you!"

A few minutes later, Christina slipped the guitar strap over her shoulder as Ryan stepped up to the mic. He struck the first chord and started the slow intro. Breathing into the mic, he began the song by Whitesnake.

Christina's guitar joined as the tempo slowly increased. Kyle's drums echoed through the room and the girls let their fingers sail across the faces of the guitars, the music's beat picking up.

The last of the customers were trailing out of the bar as Ryan and Kyle broke down the equipment and lugged it out to the truck. Waitresses bustled around, cleaning up as quickly as possible so they could leave.

"Well girls, here you go," Nicky said, handing over a wad of cash. "Three hundred. Just like I promised."

Christina stuffed the money into her pocket and smiled. "Thanks Nicky. If the box breaks again, give us a call."

"Will do," Nicky chuckled, walking away.

Christina's arm curled around Fayth's shoulders. "We should celebrate."

"It's two o'clock in the morning," Fayth laughed. "I'm exhausted."

"Oh, come on! This was one of our best gigs!" Christina said.

Rolling her eyes, Fayth sighed. "Fine."

"Yes!" the dark haired girl rushed off to the other two band members.

"Hey baby, how you doing?"

Turning, Fayth came face to face with a somewhat tall boy with brown shaggy hair and nice eyes. The smile on his face said that he knew he looked good and that she should feel privileged that he was talking to her. A quick once over showed her that he was a jock, probably from Spencer.

He held out his hand. "Aaron Abbot."

Taking it, she smiled. "Fayth."

"Do you have a last name?"

"Yes, but it's a secret," she answered, unable to help the sly smile spreading across her face. Not flirting back was just too damn difficult.

"Hmm." His eyes traveled the length of her body before returning their attention to her face. "Have any plans for later?"

"Yes, actually," Fayth replied, smiling. "However, they don't include you."

"Ouch," Aaron said, faking hurt. "That's a bummer."

Pulling out her phone, she handed it to him. "But give me your number, and maybe I'll call."

Smirking, he punched in his number and returned the phone. "Can I have yours?"

"Only if I call you," Fayth said. "But I have to go. Talk to you later."

"So you'll call?"

Pausing, Fayth gave him a flirtatious smile. "We'll see." She watched him nod and walk away. Would she call him? Well, he was kind of cute. Sighing, she turned and bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry, wasn't watching were I was going." Looking up, her gaze met a beautiful pair of blue eyes. The same blue eyes she'd thought she'd never look into again. His slightly long blonde hair peeked out from under a beanie, and a quick glance down showed that he was wearing black fingerless gloves. Looking up again, her stomach flipped. Anger mixed with a feeling she thought had died long ago. Reid Garwin.


	2. Chapter 2

He blinked once before recognition broke across his features. "Fay?"

Fayth's eyes narrowed into a glare. "Reid," she said curtly before pushing past him. Damn it, why? Just because she'd been sort of looking for him didn't mean she wanted to find him!

"I thought I recognized someone in the crowd," Reid said, catching up to her. "It's been a while," he added.

Her hand clenched in a fist. Yes, it had been a while since they'd seen each other. Just over five years to be exact. She nodded stiffly and replied with a brief, "Yep."

"How've you been?"

"Fine," Fayth answered, her voice icier than she'd meant it.

"What's with you?" Reid asked, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Nothing. I'm just peachy," Fayth shot back. "What do you care, anyway?" From the corner of her eye she saw him pause and then a frown creased his forehead.

"I'm just trying to catch up," Reid said defensively.

"Whatever."

A hand closed around her upper arm and yanked her around. "When did you become such a bitch?" Reid asked, frowning down at her.

"Around the same time you became an ass," Fayth snarled, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach that his touch caused. His blue eyes narrowed as his lips curved down in a frown. Those amazing blue eyes that had sparkled with mischief when they were kids. Silently scolding herself, she yanked her arm away and stormed toward the stage where her friends were collecting the last of the equipment. She grabbed an amp and lugged it out to the truck, pushing past three boys who were standing nearby.

Once outside, she hauled the amp into the truck and climbed into the driver's seat to wait for the others. This was ridiculous. It had been five years, she should be over him. She was over him… she was. A silly crush from years ago didn't mean anything. She had been young and somewhat stupid. They were no longer kids. Reid definitely wasn't a kid anymore. He stood a good few inches taller than her, and his slightly angular face had made him even cuter than when he was young. And his blonde hair contrasted nicely with his eyes, while his slightly wide shoulders hinted at his muscular build.

"Stop thinking about him," Fayth hissed to herself. "He's an ass and not worth your time. A hot ass, but an ass nonetheless." Shaking her head, she tried to rid her mind of Reid's face, but it was useless. She couldn't make his image fade. "Ugh!"

"What's with you?" Christina asked as she climbed into the passenger's seat. Ryan and Kyle hopped into the bed of the truck and knocked on the window, signaling that they were ready to go.

She started the truck and put it in drive before answering her friend. "Nothing."

"That's a lie," Christina laughed. "You're pissed because you ran into Reid."

Fayth let her gaze slide to her friend briefly before returning to the road. Her lips pushed together in a pout. "Maybe." Chris had known about her and Reid since they were nine. She'd always teased Fayth about having a crush on him, and Fayth had always insisted that it wasn't a crush. But when Reid broke their friendship, Fayth had admitted to her girl friend that she'd liked him. And Chris had helped her get over him… or so she'd thought.

"He's grown," Christina commented.

"Yeah, grown into an even bigger ass," Fayth mumbled.

"I didn't think so. He seemed nice to me," her friend said, shrugging.

"Whatever. He's still an ass. I mean, did he really think that after five years, we'd be best buddies again? Seriously! He ditched me for no reason, ignored me, and then all of a sudden tries to strike up a conversation? What the hell!"

"True."

"He's the one who ended our friendship, not me. It's his fault," Fayth added, taking a corner sharper than she meant to.

"Hey, watch it!" Ryan called from the back.

"Yeah, we want to stay in the truck!" Kyle yelled.

"Sorry!" Fayth hollered, even though they probably couldn't hear her. "But I mean, what the hell was he thinking? Did he really think that if he tried to come back into my life that I'd welcome him with open arms? 'Cause if that's what went through his mind when he saw me then he's just gotten stupider over the years."

Christina nodded. "Mmhmm."

"Ugh, he's such an ass!"

"He's a big ass," Chris agreed.

"A giant ass!" Fayth said. She parked the truck outside Ryan's house and climbed out, slamming the door. "Men are such fucking pricks!"

"Well gee, thanks," Kyle said. "Glad to know how you really feel about us."

"Oh shut up," Fayth snapped.

"Someone's moody," Ryan chuckled.

"And someone's going to get my foot up their ass if they don't _shut up_."

"Chill the hell out, Fayth," Christina sighed.

Fayth opened her mouth to make a smartass remark, but stopped when her friend glared at her. Instead, she folded her arms and pouted. One good thing about Chris was she knew how to be a best friend. She listened to the rants, but ended the overreacting when need be. And yes, Fayth knew she was probably overreacting. But she was pissed.

"Guys, we'll catch up with you later, alright?" Christina said, opening the passenger's side door and looking at the redhead. "When the bitch is back in the box."

"Haha, funny," Fayth mumbled. "See you guys later. Great gig." She climbed into the truck and slammed the door before starting the engine. Once the brunette girl was in, she threw the truck into drive and headed to the next house. The ride to Chris' was silent except for the music blaring from the radio. That was another good thing about Christina, she didn't try to make conversation when Fayth was mad. She'd either let her silently vent or listen to her rant. She was great.

After dropping her friend off, Fayth headed home. She parked in her small driveway and walked into the small two story house. The only light on was the one above the stairs. Her parents and sister were already asleep. She quietly made her way upstairs and into her room where she changed into a large grey T-shirt and a pair of black boy shorts. It had been a long day and she was definitely ready for some sleep.

Sunlight warmed her face as she slowly came out of the dream world. Inhaling deeply and stretching, she rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling before climbing out of bed and making her way to the bathroom down the hall. After a shower, she returned to her bedroom and changed into a pair of jeans and a dark blue spaghetti strap shirt. She combed out her hair, letting it fall over her shoulders, and applied a little mascara and eyeliner. Adding her silver pentagram necklace and silver hoops, she headed downstairs.

"Morning, hunny," her mother said from the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in front of her.

"Morning," Fayth replied as she grabbed an apple.

"How was it last night?" her father asked from his seat at the table, his eyes never leaving the newspaper he was holding.

"It was good. The crowd loved them."

"That's good."

"What are your plans for today?" her mother asked.

"Chris and I are hanging out. We might go see a movie or something."

"Oh that's nice."

"I want to see a movie," Haley said, walking into the kitchen.

Fayth looked at her eight-year-old sister and sighed. "Maybe I'll take you another time."

Her sister rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right."

"Yeah. Well see you guys later," Fayth said, heading for the door.

Ten minutes later, Fayth opened the door to her friend's house. "Knock, knock. I'm home!"

"Oh great, the day just got better," Christina's father said from the living room.

"Nice to see you, too, Mr. Lawmen," Fayth smiled, returning his light sarcasm.

"Christina's upstairs in her room," he said, chuckling.

"Thanks." Fayth climbed the stairs and walked into the bedroom. "Morning!"

"Hi Fayth," Chris said as she pulled on a green T-shirt. "What's the plan for the day?"

Fayth shrugged. "Usual Saturday breakfast at the diner?"

"Sure."

Light chatter mixed with soft music filled the diner as the two girls sat eating their breakfast. Clouds outside covered the sky, blocking the sun, and a little mist swirled across the ground, making the April day feel like October, and made the day seem gloomier than it should.

"So what should we do next?" Fayth asked, pushing her empty place to the end of the table for the waiter.

"Dunno," Christina said, taking her last bite.

"Movie?" Fayth suggested.

"We've seen most of them," Chris sighed. "Damn, it's boring in this town."

Fayth nodded, but stopped when she saw the mischievous smirk pulling at the corners of her friend's mouth. "What are you thinking?"

"We should go swimming."

"The river is probably freezing," Fayth said.

"I mean in an indoor pool."

"And where are we going to find an indoor pool?" Her friend shrugged as her eyes traveled to the road and back. Fayth's eyes widened. "No."

"Come on. Don't you want to swim?"

"Not that badly."

"Oh come on. It'll be fun!"

"Until we get caught."

"If we get caught."

"Chris," Fayth sighed.

"Fayth, have faith. We won't get caught."

"You're right, 'cause we're not going."

"It's the only nearby place with an indoor pool," Chris whined. "I really want to swim!"

"Then fill up a bathtub."

"Fayth."

"Chris."

"You just don't want to run into Reid."

"I don't feel like explaining to my parents why they need to pick me up at the police station for trespassing," Fayth corrected. "But since you brought it up, you're right. I don't want to see Reid again."

"Well we'll go late at night when everyone at Spencer is asleep. Get in, swim, get out. Simple," Christina said.

"Well we'd probably have to break in since Spencer Academy is so strict and they most likely lock everything at night. Then we have to worry about getting around security guards, because once again Spencer is strict and probably has people walking around looking for trouble makers."

"Fayth, we've grown up sneaking around. A few security guards should be no problem. Please?" Chris' bottom lip stuck out and her eyes grew bigger and sadder. Her damn puppy dog face.

With a loud sigh, Fayth stood. "If we get caught, you will owe me big time."

Chris jumped to her feet and clapped. "I know!" Linking arms with her, she dragged Fayth from the diner after tossing some money on the table. "So, we'll plan to head there around… midnight?"

"Seeing as it's Saturday, we'll probably have to wait til like two. Most people will be out until one or two," Fayth said as the two girls climbed into the truck. "You sure you want to do this?"

"Hell yeah!" Christina smiled.

Fayth sighed. "Alright. We'll go find trouble tonight."

Chris clapped happily. "Yay!"


	3. Chapter 3

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this," Fayth said quietly as they approached the doors to the dark school.

Her friend smirked. "You're life would be so dull without me, and you know it."

"You're right, 'cause if it wasn't for you, I'd be safe and sound at home and snuggled up in my blankets."

"Shh!" Christina paused and her eyes scanned the dark school grounds briefly before she slowly moved forward. "You ready?"

"You really need to learn how to pick locks," Fayth sighed, stepping up to the door and pulling the flat sided hair pin from her ponytail. She crouched down and slipped the pin into the lock, patiently easing it into place. "Knife." Chris handed her the flat butter knife they'd stashed her purse. Fayth carefully eased it into the door's crack and jiggled it down to the lock while turning the bobby pin. Using the knife, she pushed the metal bar in and heard the faint _click_. Smiling, she stood and turned the doorknob, pushing the door open. "Done."

"You're skilled," Chris smiled, following her into the building as she stuffed the knife and pin in her purse.

"Yeah, I know." Pausing, she looked around. "So, where do we go from here?"

"Um." Christina pulled a piece of white paper from her purse and unfolded it. After scanning it with her eyes, she headed down a hallway. "This way."

"Is that a map?" Fayth asked. When her friend nodded, she added, "Where did you get a map of Spencer?"

"Please, you can get just about anything online. You just have to know what you're looking for," Christina smiled.

About ten minutes later, after dodging a security guard, the girls pushed open the door and stepped into the pool area. One or two ceiling lights illuminated the large room, giving them just enough light to see where they walked. Giggling, Chris skipped to the edge of the pool and dropped her purse on the floor.

"Okay, let's do this," Fayth said, yanking her shirt over her head and tossing it next to the purse. She pulled off her jeans, removed her jewelry, and stepped up to the edge. "Keep your ears open, alright? I don't feel like getting caught by some pissy security guard."

"Yeah, yeah. I know," Christina said, stepping up to the edge beside her, her clothes lying next to Fayth's. "Three. Two. One!"

Fayth dove forward, her body breaking into and speeding through the cool water. Her head broke the surface and she inhaled deeply before opening her eyes. A small wave of water splashed across her face. She blinked and saw her friend floating a few feet away, smirking. Fayth returned the smirk before sending a wave of water toward the girl. Giggling, they started a water fight, forgetting that they needed to keep quiet.

Someone cleared their throat, startling the girls. Looking around, Fayth found Reid and three boys standing by the pool in swim trunks and shirtless. Before she could stop herself, her eyes traveled the length of him, taking in his toned body before returning to his face, where his blonde hair framed his deep blue eyes. And his blue eyes were trained on her, one eyebrow raised.

"Uh, hi guys!" Christina said. "What's up?"

"Funny. We were going to ask you two the same thing," the slightly taller brunette boy said, folding his arms.

"We're just swimming. No biggie."

"Uh-huh."

"What are you doing in the pool at two thirty in the morning?" the long haired boy asked.

"What are you doing watching us in the pool at two thirty in the morning?" Chris asked, rewording his question.

A smirk tugged at Fayth's lips, and she couldn't help but let it show a little. She couldn't make her eyes leave his, and it was extremely frustrating.

"This is our school, so I think we can swim when we want," the shorter brunette said.

"How do you know it's not our school, too?" Fayth asked, finally moving her gaze away from him.

"Because we know just about everyone in the school," the long haired boy answered. "Fess up."

Sighing dramatically, Christina moved to the edge of the pool. "Alright, you caught us. We'll go now." She gracefully pulled herself up and out of the water and went to grab her clothes, completely unashamed that she was only wearing her blue bra and underwear. At least her butt was covered, because Fayth was wearing a black and silver thong and black bra. "Let's go, Fayth."

Clenching her teeth, Fayth forced herself to pull herself out of the water and walked by Reid. His eyes did a quick once-over of her, and her cheeks heated. She wasn't ashamed of her body, but she also knew that she wasn't the skinniest girl either.

"Breaking and entering one of your new hobbies?"

He could have been speaking right next to her ear for all it mattered as she stopped the shiver his voice caused. Swallowing, she grabbed her clothes and headed for the door. "Maybe."

"So you've perfected your lock-picking skills, then."

She couldn't stop her next comment. Briefly looking back, she said, "I've perfected a lot of my skills." A hint of a smirk graced his lips, and she felt butterflies in her stomach when his eyes took in her appearance again.

All eyes snapped to the door when the beam of a flashlight illuminated the frosted window. Everyone uttered a curse and Fayth looked at her friend for a moment before turning to face the boys. But they were gone. Frowning, she quickly looked around, but couldn't see them anywhere. Where'd they go?

"Where the hell did they go?" Christina asked.

"I don't know," Fayth answered.

"Well nice of them to share their hiding spot with us!"

"I told you Reid was an ass! Doesn't surprise me that his friends are asses too," Fayth said as the flashlight's beam became brighter. "Here!" She grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her to the wall directly beside the door, silently thanking whoever had designed the school had made the door open inward. She pressed her back against the wall as the door opened, the wood slowly swinging toward her. A man stepped in and walked toward the pool, scanning the area with his flashlight. Fayth grabbed her friend and slowly and quietly pulled her around the door and into the hall, keeping her eyes on the guard.

Just when she thought they'd get out safely, Christina tripped and released a small shriek. The guard spun to face them and his free hand went to his belt. "Freeze!"

"Run!" Fayth yelled, sprinting down the hall they'd come up to get to the pool. She could hear Christina's footsteps just behind her, as well as the security guard's a little ways down the hall. Ignoring his shouts, she darted through the school and out the front door. Glancing back, she saw Chris running behind her, a huge smile on her face. In the parking lot, they jumped into the truck and sped away from the school.

"That was awesome!" Chris laughed.

"We almost got caught," Fayth said, shaking her head.

"_Almost_ is the key word," Chris said.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into that."

"You loved it and you know it."

"Okay, it was fun until those asses found us," Fayth said, letting a smile briefly pull her lips up.  
"Oh, please. I saw you checking Reid out. And I don't blame you, he's pretty hot."

"They were all pretty hot," Fayth corrected. "Reid's just a hot jackass. Nothing more." After dropping her friend off, she drove home. She quietly slipped into her house and went to her room to change and go to bed.

As she lay under the covers, her thoughts drifted to the image of Reid standing before her, shirtless. Shaking her head, she silently scolded herself. He was an ass, and she shouldn't be thinking about him. "He lost his chance a while ago. He's not worth my time now." But as she said the words, she felt a faint achy emptiness in her chest. An emptiness she thought she'd filled a couple of years ago.

The next afternoon, Fayth and Christina went to Ryan's house so the band could practice. She flopped out on the couch in the garage and listened to her three friends play, argue, play, and argue some more. Three hours later, Christina yanked off her guitar and glared at Kyle.

"How many times have I told you not to do that on the drums?" she asked.

"About the same amount of times that I've told you that that would be a great ending for the song," Kyle growled, standing.

"Guys, come on," Ryan sighed.

"Okay, Ryan, what do you think?" Christina asked, turning her glare to the second boy.

Ryan rolled his eyes. "I think you're both giving me a headache."

"Fayth, what do you think?"

Fayth studied her friend for a moment, contemplating her answer. "I think Kyle's right. It gives the song energy instead of letting the beat dye," she added hurriedly as her friend's forehead creased in a frown.

Letting out a loud sigh, Christina pursed her lips and muttered, "Fine."

Kyle gave Fayth a discrete and appreciative nod, which she returned and stood. "Guys, I think I'm going to head out. I have some homework to finish."

"It's only been three hours," Ryan chuckled.

"And apparently three hours of your arguing is enough to give me a headache," Fayth joked. "I'll see you later."

Once in the truck, she went back to her house. Two hours later, she closed her math book with a sigh and looked at the clock on her nightstand. Six in the evening, time for food. After eating, she convinced her father to let her pop in Sweet Home Alabama. It was her favorite movie. Jake was amazing! There was no other way to describe him. As the movie's opening scene began, her mind wandered.

"_Why do you want me to kiss you?" she asked. "We're only nine."_

_He shrugged. "I want to know what it feels like."_

"_Why does it have to be me?"_

"_Why do you have to ask so many questions?" he sighed. "Just kiss me."_

"_Isn't the guy supposed to make the first move?" she shot back. Honestly, the thought of kissing him gave her butterflies and she didn't know why. He was her best friend, nothing between them should be awkward. _

"_Fine." He leaned forward slowly and stopped two inches from her mouth. "Close your eyes." _

_She did, and a moment later she felt his lips press against hers. A few seconds passed before she pulled away and looked at him. The butterflies were on a rampage in her stomach. "Um. So?"_

_He studied her for a moment before answering. "It was okay."_

"_Okay?" she repeated, slightly annoyed. "Just okay?"_

"_Well it was your first kiss," he said. _

"_It was your first kiss, too," she said, folding her arms. _

_He rolled his eyes before smiling. "Come find me in a few years and I'll show you what a real kiss is."_

"_Why in a few years?"_

"_Because by then I'll be an expert," he smirked. "And you'll have had some practice."_

"_Whatever," she huffed. He could be so annoying at times. _

Fayth blinked a few times and found herself sitting on the couch alone, facing the TV, Sweet Home Alabama still playing. She hadn't thought about that day in years. Why did she suddenly remember it? "Ugh!" Her head fell back and she closed her eyes. She really needed to forget about Reid.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Fayth showered and pulled on a pair of cargos and a dark blue tank top. She let her hair dry around her shoulders, applied a little eye mascara and eyeliner, grabbed her black sweater and backpack and went downstairs. Haley met her at the door, and they walked out to the truck. After stopping in to pick up Christina and then drop her sister off at school, the two girls headed to their high school.

"I hate Mondays," Christina sighed as she climbed from the truck and shut the door.

"Doesn't everyone?" Fayth smiled, stuffing the keys into the front pocket of her backpack and slinging her bag over one shoulder.

"If they don't they're crazy."

Classes seemed to drag on as the day went by. During lunch, Fayth listened to the three band members discuss a new song they were working on. And then it was back to classes until three o'clock. When the last bell rang, Fayth jumped from her seat and rushed into the sea of kids leaving. She met Christina and the guys at her truck and tossed her bag onto the seat.

"I'm going to catch a ride with them so we can keep working on the song," Chris said. "You want to come?"

"Nah, I had enough of your arguing last night," Fayth replied, receiving a playful punch in the arm from Kyle. "You guys have fun." Hopping into the truck, she started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Once at her house, she walked through the front door and started up the stairs toward her bedroom.

"Fayth?"

Turning, she looked down at her sister. "What, Hales?"

"Can we go see a movie tonight?"

She chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, thinking. Christina would be practicing for a while, and there was nothing better to do for the rest of the night. Plus, she had told her sister that they could go see one at some point. "Only if mom and dad say yes."

Letting out a little squeal, Haley scampered off to find their parents. Shaking her head and smiling, Fayth continued up the stairs and entered her room, closing the door behind her. With a small sigh, she pulled out her homework and plopped down on her bed. Might as well get it done.

A light knock on the door made her look up. "Yeah?"

Haley stuck her head in, a huge smile on her face. "Mom said yes! As long as it's not a late one!"

"'Kay. We'll leave in a couple hours," Fayth said, unable to help smiling at her little sister's excitement. When the door closed again, she returned to her homework.

An hour and a half later, her cell phone began vibrating on her night stand. She grabbed it, glanced at the caller ID, and flipped it open. "Hey."

"Hey," Christina replied. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Just doing a little homework before taking Haley to see a movie. Aren't you supposed to be practicing?"

"We're taking a break. But you should hear the song so far. It rocks."

"Cool. Can't wait to hear it," Fayth said, her mind beginning to wonder for the hundredth time that day.

"Dude, you okay?" Chris asked. "You seemed a little out of it a few times today."

"Yeah, fine. Just... thinking," Fayth answered, blinking as her mind returned to the conversation.

"About Reid?" her friend asked knowingly.

"No," Fayth said shyly. Yes. He'd been on her mind all day and she didn't know why.

Christina sighed on the other end of the phone. "Start talking."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Don't lie."

Letting out a deep breath, Fayth closed her math book and laid back on her bed. "I don't know. I thought I was over it, over him, you know? And then we ran into each other at Nicky's and suddenly I can't stop thinking about him. I mean, I'm remembering things I haven't thought about in years, and it's so frustrating!" She shook her head and stared up at the ceiling. "Ugh. I hate this. And time was pretty freaking good to him, 'cause now he's hot. And the fact that he looks so damn good is half the reason why I can't stop thinking about him."

"He is pretty hot," Christina agreed.

"And thinking about him makes me remember things I'd rather forget. And then those memories stir up old feelings, but then I remember what he did to me, and then I get this empty feeling, and...." She trailed off, unable to finish. Even now, there was a small empty sensation in her chest, and the more she talked about him, the more the sensation grew. And it scared her. This was the same sensation she'd felt during the first three months after Reid had run away from the tree that day.

"And what?" Chris asked.

"Nothing. Forget it," Fayth sighed, sitting up. The more she thought about him, the worse the feeling would become. Soon it would grow into a dull ache, which would grow worse over time. This she knew from experience. "It's stupid."

"Fayth."

"Look, Chris, I have to go so Haley and I aren't late for the movie. Talk to you tomorrow." She flipped the phone shut before her friend could reply and tossed it on the bed next to her. Covering her heart with her fist, she closed her eyes and tried to force away the tiny ache that was starting to throb. Reid Garwin was a jerk, and she was over him. She _was_ over him.

The next few days dragged by. A few times Christina tried to get Fayth to talk more about Reid, but she just brushed off the questions and changed the subject. Putting her feelings into words would make them not only real, but true, and she didn't want that. She'd learned her lesson years ago. That warm feeling that a certain person could cause just wasn't worth the pain. That warm feeling meant that she wasn't in control anymore, which meant that she could get hurt again. And that wasn't an option.

Friday morning started off like any other school day. After picking up Christina and dropping off Haley, she turned the truck in the direction of the high school. She pulled into an empty space in the parking lot and parked the truck, but didn't turn off the engine. She looked up at the school before her and around at the students. Fog rolled across the ground, mirroring the clouds in the sky.

"You coming?" Christina asked, opening her door.

"There are three months of school left," Fayth stated, still looking out the window at the school. "Three months until we graduate."

"Yeah, exciting isn't it?"

Fayth nodded and smiled. "Do you realize that we haven't skipped a single day of classes this year?" She looked at the girl beside her.

A smirk pulled at the corners of her friend's mouth. "And what does my best friend have in mind?"

"Close the door." When the passenger door slammed shut, Fayth threw the truck into drive and whipped out of the parking lot.

"So where are we going?" Christina asked.

"Don't know, don't care," Fayth laughed.

"A movie it is!" Chris smiled.

The two girls walked out of the theater laughing. One good thing about being a senior was that you could call yourself in sick at school. A little cough and a scratchy sounding throat made calling in sick easy. They climbed into the truck, still laughing about the movie, and turned up the volume on the radio. Changing stations, Fayth found WOKO and let out a squeal as George Jones' voice blared from the speakers. Her and Christina began singing along as they drove down the road.

_I got a hundred __dollars__ smokin' in my billfold  
I know I oughta save it but it's burnin' a hole  
Right through my pocket and into my skin  
Come Monday morning I'll be broke again._

It's finally Friday  
I'm free again  
I got my _motor__ running for a wild weekend  
It's finally Friday  
I'm outa' control  
Forget the workin' blues  
And let the good times roll._

I got a little sugar _baby__ down the road  
She's sittin' on a __radio__ and rockin' on roll  
We'll __dance __up a storm and later all night  
We'll be workin' on doin' all the wrong things right._

It's finally Friday  
I'm free again  
I got my _motor__ running for a wild weekend  
It's finally Friday  
I'm outa' control  
Forget the workin' blues  
And let the good times roll._

Monday, I'll be hurtin with my head in a vice  
Tuesday, I'll be wonderin' if I'll ever survive  
Wednesday and Thursday, I'll be slowly tunin' in  
Friday, I'll be revin' up my motor again.

It's finally Friday  
I'm free again  
I got my motor running for a wild weekend  
It's finally Friday  
I'm outa' control  
Forget the workin' blues  
And let the good times roll.

It's finally Friday  
I got my motor running for a wild weekend  
It's finally Friday  
Forget the workin' blues  
And let the good times roll...

They pulled into Fayth's driveway and jumped out, laughing. Once in her bedroom, Fayth flopped down on her bed and wiggled over to make room for her friend. The next three hours consisted of laughing and giggling as they shared memories.

"When are you going to join the band?" Christina asked.

"Uh, never," Fayth laughed, sitting up.

"Why not? You have an amazing voice! We could be totally amazing!"

"You guys are already totally amazing," Fayth pointed out. "Besides, I don't like being on stage in front of everyone."

"You keep saying that," Chris noted. "But I don't believe it."

Fayth shrugged. "Believe what you want."

"We should go to Nicky's," Chris said suddenly.

"'Kay, tell me how it is," Fayth replied.

"No, I said 'we' as in both of us."

"No thanks, I'm good."

"Fayth, you can't hide forever," Chris chided.

"You're right, not forever. Just until one of us leaves town," Fayth said.

"Fayth, you're going out whether you like it or not. Now you can either get up off your ass and get ready, or I can drag you out the door and to the bar in the outfit you have on. You're choice," Christina said, standing and folding her arms.

Fayth eyed her friend, silently debating. With a loud sigh, she stood and walked over to her closet to find a new shirt. Why should she stop having fun just because he might be in the same bar as her? Like the song said, forget the workin' blues and let the good times roll. "Are you borrowing some clothes?"

"You know it," Chris said.

Fayth pulled out her shirt and stepped back to let her friend into the closet. The cargos she had on now were fine, so she simply changed shirts. After she redid her make up, pulled her dark red hair back into a high ponytail, she stepped back from the mirror to admire her reflection. Her black off-the-shoulder tee clung to her upper body and contrasted nicely with her baggy pants. After pulling on a pair of socks, she slipped on her Xelement lace-up biker boots. Yes, she did like the badass look, but she added a little girl flare to it. Christina was the same. And that was probably why she was attracted to Reid. _No! Do NOT think about him! Tonight is about you!_ she mentally scolded herself.

"You ready?"

"Hell yeah! Let's rock!" Christina grinned, walking to the door wearing Fayth's green spaghetti strap tank.

Chuckling, Fayth followed her. Once in the truck after letting her parents know she was out, Christina turned up the radio and they pulled away from the house. The two girls sang along with the radio and when they pulled into the bar's parking lot, they jumped out of the truck ready to party. Nicky's was packed and they had to weave their way around people to get to the bar.

"Nicky!" Fayth called.

"Hey girls," the bar large tender greeted, smiling. "What'll it be?"

"Two Mountain Dews," Christina replied.

When he passed them their drinks, he shook his head at Fayth's outstretched money. "Nah. They're on the house."

"Thanks, buddy!" Fayth said, stuffing the money back into her pocket and taking a sip of her drink. "So, what should we do?"

"Dance!" Christina yelled.

They made their way to the jukebox and flipped through the songs before paying a quarter. There was a brief pause as the song changed over, and then the music blasted through the speakers. People cheered in appreciation. Setting their drinks down, Fayth grabbed her friend and pulled her onto the dance floor. The music pounded through her and she fell into step with the beat, rolling her hips and singing along. Christina slid up behind her, her hips moving in sync with Fayth's. A few people stopped to watch the girl on girl action, and a couple guys whistled, making Fayth's smile grow. When the song ended, the girls gave a quick bow before going to grab their drinks.

"You don't like being on stage singing, but you'll shake your ass for them on the dance floor?" Christina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What can I say? I'm complicated."

"Alright, let's find some guys," Chris grinned, her eyes searching the crowd.

Laughing, Fayth looked around at the people.

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!"

Following the direction of her friend's eyes, Fayth found herself looking at Reid and hi friends. "Uh, Chris, that's Reid."

"I'm looking at his blue eyed friend," Chris said, licking her lips. "Time to work some magic."

Fayth opened her mouth to protest, but Christina glided through the crowd before she could. She watched the girl walk up to the blue eyed brunette, greet the other three, and then turn to her goal. A few minutes of conversation led to Chris taking his hand and pulling him onto the dance floor, leaving his friends to cheer and whistle for him. Shaking her head, she sighed and let her gaze scan the crowd. A boy with curly brown hair by the pool table caught her attention and she smiled to herself. She wove her way through the people and reached out and tugged on his sleeve, making him turn to face her.

A frown briefly creased his forehead and then he smiled. "Fayth, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "And you're Aaron."

"That's me." He flashed her a flirtatious smile and let his eyes give her a quick once over. "So you felt like coming to find me instead of calling?"

"No, I felt like going out with a friend. Finding you was just a bonus," Fayth replied, tilting her head slightly and returning his smile.

"Hey Abbott, you ready to lose some money?"

Aaron rolled his eyes before turning to face his challenger. "I should be asking you the same thing, Garwin."

Reid smirked before his eyes settled on her. "Fayth?"

"Reid."

"What are you doing with Abbott?"

"Hanging out," Fayth answered, noticing the tiny crease in the blonde's forehead. His eyes flickered to Aaron briefly and his lips pulled down the tiniest bit.

"Jealous, Garwin?" Aaron asked.

A smile broke through Reid's features. "No. I'm just trying to figure out what her mental problem is."

"Mental problem?" Fayth snarled.

"Yeah. You must have one if you're hanging out with Abbott," Reid smirked.

Fayth's jaw dropped. "How _dare_ you!"

Reid simply shrugged and turned his attention to Aaron. "You ready to play, Abbott?"

Aaron frowned and his hands fisted at his sides. "Apologize, Garwin."

"Apologize?"

"To Fayth," Aaron growled.

With a dramatic sigh, Reid looked at her. "I'm sorry Fayth, that you've stooped so low as to hang out with people like him."

Aaron took a step forward, but Fayth grabbed his arm, stopping him. "Aaron, no." She glared at the blonde boy. "He's not worth it."

Something in Reid's eyes changed, but she couldn't figure out what. He looked at the curly haired boy. "Are we going to play, or what?"

Twenty minutes later, the game was just about over. Both boys had one ball left, and then the eight ball. Reid shot the seven ball into the side pocket and then leaned over the table to shoot the black ball. Fayth cocked her head to the side, studying the table. The eight ball was blocked by Aaron's ten ball, and the shot Reid was going for was impossible to do. Her eyes shifted to Reid's face and she studied him. He wasn't seriously going to try to make that shot, was he? He'd lose.

He pulled the stick back and pushed it into the cue ball, which hit the eight ball. She felt her jaw drop when flames blazed through Reid's blue eyes. The eight ball rolled past the ten ball and into the pocket Reid had been aiming for. She snapped her mouth shut and looked around, but no one seemed to have noticed the change in the boy's eyes, which were now their normal beautiful blue.

"Pay up, Abbott."

"You cheated," Aaron snarled.

With a loud sigh, Reid held out his hand. "How could I have cheated? You were standing right there watching."

Mumbling under his breath, Aaron slapped the cash into Reid's hand, tossed his pool stick onto the table, and turned to leave. "You coming?"

Fayth looked at him and shook her head. "I'm good." She watched him shrug and walk away, followed by his friends. Reid had already started a new game with another boy. She studied him for a few minutes. No. It had been a trick of the light. He couldn't have had flames in his eyes, that was just crazy.


	5. Chapter 5

The next day around noon, Fayth and Christina went to meet Kyle at Ryan's house so the band could practice. Fayth settled herself on the couch and listened to their warm up, followed by the song they'd been working on. Like Chris had said, it sounded great. Fayth smiled and nodded her approval as they played, but her thoughts were elsewhere. As much as she tried, she couldn't convince herself that what she'd seen last night was a trick of the light. It had been too real.

Around four, Christina set her guitar down and stretched. "Well, guys. I have to go."

"What? Why?" Ryan asked, setting his guitar beside Christina's.

"I need to start getting ready," Chris answered.

"Ready for what?" Kyle prodded.

"I have a date tonight," she replied, a huge smile lighting up her face.

"With who?" Fayth looked at her friend, and then it dawned on her. "Reid's friend."

"His name's Tyler Simms," Chris corrected. "But yes, him. We exchanged numbers, and he called me this morning."

"Where are you going?"

The girl shrugged. "Probably a movie and then Nicky's. Can you give me a ride back to my house?"

Fayth nodded and stood. "Yeah. Let's go. Bye guys."

"Later," the two boys replied.

After pulling away from Ryan's house, Christina turned the volume on the radio down. "What about you?"

Frowning, Fayth glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't been on a date in like two years," Chris stated.

"Your point being?"

"You should go out tonight."

"No thanks."

"Why?"

"Because I'm sick of guys," Fayth answered.

"Fayth," Chris sighed.

"What?"

"Go on a date."

"No," Fayth answered stubbornly as she pulled the truck into the driveway.

With an annoyed sighed, Christina opened the door and jumped out. "Fine. Be alone and miserable." She slammed the door shut, adding to her dramatic exit, and headed for her front door.

Rolling down her window, Fayth stuck her head out. "Hey, Chris!"

The girl turned. "What."

"Don't get into too much trouble tonight, 'kay? That boy's not used to you yet."

Her friend smirked. "Can't make any promises!"

With a chuckle and shake of her head, Fayth backed the truck out of the driveway and sped off toward her own house. Okay, so Chris was right. She hadn't been on a date since sophomore year, and was probably over due for one. But with who, and where would they go? The only place that was nearby and easy to get to was Nicky's, and since it was Saturday, Reid would probably be there. Just what she needed, another run-in with that jackass. But he didn't seem to like that she'd been hanging around with Aaron. Interesting.

Around six, Fayth lay spread out on her bed completely bored. She picked up her phone and looked at it, debating. With a sigh, she scrolled down to the number and hit SEND before pressing it to her ear. Five rings later, he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Aaron. It's Fayth," she said, immediately smiling.

"Oh, hey," Aaron replied. "What's up?"

Taking a deep breath, she answered. "Not much. I'm bored."

He chuckled on the other end. "A bored girl? I might be able to help with that."

"Oh really?" Okay, it was just too hard not to play along. "And how would you help?"

"Come over to my place and I'll show you," Aaron replied, his voice husky.

"Tempting," Fayth said, sitting up. "But how about you meet me at Nicky's instead. I can show you how_ I_ handle a pool stick."

"Hmm. I suppose we could do that."

Fayth rolled her eyes, but grinned none the less. "You want to pick me up?"

"Sure. I'll be at your house around eight."

After giving him directions to her house, Fayth flipped her phone shut and rushed to the bathroom to shower and shave. She already had an outfit in mind, one that would make every guy's head turn in her direction. At seven forty five, she was ready. Her dark red hair hung around her shoulders in luscious spirals, and her deep blue eyes were framed with black mascara and eyeliner. A red V-neck tank top hugged her upper body, and a pair of tan cargo capris hung low on her hips. She slipped on her black wedge heeled sandals, clipped on her silver pendant necklace and added her silver hoops, stuffed her phone and forty dollars into her pocket along with her keys, and walked out of her room.

Once downstairs, she leaned against the doorframe to the living room. "Mom, dad, I'm going out. I'll be back later."

"Okay, hunny," her mother replied, smiling.

"Where are you going?" her father asked.

"Nicky's."

"With Christina?"

"No. With Aaron," Fayth answered, pulling out her phone and glancing at the time. Seven fifty seven.

"Who's Aaron?" her father frowned, instantly going into father mode.

"A friend," Fayth grinned. "Chill, dad. I've already had the sex talk, okay?"

"Fayth," her father growled.

"Relax. Nothing's going to happen, I swear. I won't let him push me into anything, I'll walk away if I start feeling uncomfortable, and I'll call you if I feel like I'm in danger, 'kay?"

"We trust you," her mother said, shaking her head and smiling. "Right, Rob?"

Fayth looked at her father expectantly.

"Yes, Emily." He looked at his daughter. "We… trust you."

A huge smile pulled her lips up. "Thanks, dad." The doorbell rang, and Fayth turned to go answer it.

"Are we meeting this boy?" her father called.

"Nope!" Fayth replied.

"And why not?"

Pausing, she stepped back to smile at her father. "Because you might reveal something embarrassing about me, and I don't want that."

Her mother chuckled from the couch, and her father cracked a grin. "I wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, okay dad," Fayth said sarcastically. "Bye!" Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and stepped out on the porch. She smiled at Aaron. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, his eyes giving her a quick once over. "You look great."

Her smiled grew. "Thanks." She quickly took in his appearance: a pair of jeans and a simple button up long sleeved light blue shirt. "You look pretty good yourself."

He chuckled and held out his hand. "Ready?"

In his car, they talked about almost everything, from music to food, and even swapped stories and memories. In the parking lot at Nicky's, Fayth slowed her pace to the entrance. Did she really want to do this? Her gaze swept the cars before returning to the door.

"You okay?" Aaron asked.

Smiling up at him, she nodded. "Yeah. Let's go."

She took his hand and let him lead her into the bar and through the crowd to an empty table. A waitress bustled over and hurriedly took their order before rushing away. Once the food arrived, they ate and continued the conversation from the car. With a satisfied sigh, Fayth pushed her empty burger basket to the side of the table.

"Feel like showing me how you handle a pool stick now?" Aaron asked.

Fayth chuckled. "Still thinking about that comment, huh?" He smirked at her and she flashed him a playful grin. "Sure." Standing, she started through the crowd toward the pool table, but paused when she saw a blonde head at one of the tables. But what kept her attention was seeing Christina sitting at the table with his friend, Tyler, two other boys and two girls. Her eyes, on their own accord, took in his appearance: a dark long sleeved shirt with a pair of baggy jeans. A beanie and black fingerless gloves completed the outfit. As though he felt her gaze, his eyes lifted and met hers. A swarm of butterflies filled her stomach and her breath faltered for a moment. What the hell just happened to her? Since when did a guy give her butterflies?

Someone tugged on her hand and she remembered where she was. She blinked and watched Reid's face darken when he saw Aaron. Then Christina saw her and raised a questioning eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, Fayth lifted Aaron's arm and wrapped it around her shoulders before letting him steer her to the pool table.

"You ready to lose?" she asked, grabbing a pool stick.

"I'm ready to see what you've got," Aaron said, racking up the balls. He picked a stick and stepped back. "You can break."

She shrugged and stepped up to the table. "Okay." Bending over, she aimed for the cue ball and made the first shot, sinking five balls. She straightened and looked at him. "I'm stripes."

He cocked an eyebrow and a hint of a smile appeared on his face. "Impressive."

She walked past him, gently grazing her hips against his. "Just wait." Bending over, she made her second and third shot, but missed her forth. "You're up." She stepped back to let Aaron have the table, and let her eyes sweep the bar. They landed on the Reid's table, where he was sitting and glaring in her direction.

"Fayth?"

"Huh?"

"You're up."

"Oh, right," Fayth smiled. Two more shots and she was left with the two and eight balls. She aimed for the two and felt a slight frown crease her forehead when the cue ball rolled past it. Aaron bent down to make his next shot, and Fayth found her eyes searching the crowd again. This time, Reid was already looking in her direction, and his arm was slung around some blonde girl's shoulders. A sudden surge of fire shot through her and her eyes narrowed for a moment. Aaron nudged her and she looked around at him.

"If you want to really make him jealous, you need to do better," Aaron said quietly, leaning his hip against the pool table.

"Who?" Fayth asked, slightly confused.

"Garwin," Aaron replied, his eyes never leaving hers.

"I… I'm not trying to… make him jealous," Fayth said, blinking in surprise. He raised an eyebrow, and she sighed. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't even know why I care. I'm sorry I ended up using you like that."

To her surprise, Aaron smirked. "I'm up for any reason to piss Garwin off. But if you really want to get to him, follow my lead." He took a step closer to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear. Her body tensed when his hand trailed across her hip. "Relax and play along," he whispered. "He's watching."

Taking a deep breath, she slid her hands up his chest and let them rest on the back of his neck. He pulled back and looked at her, waiting. "Are you sure about this?" she whispered.

"Look over at him and tell me if it's working," Aaron said quietly, letting his eyes flicker behind her briefly and a smirk pulled at the corners of his lips. She leaned up and gently pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his. His hands pulled her closer, pressing her hips against his. He pulled back a little and whispered, "Let's go to my car."

"You're not getting that lucky," Fayth smiled.

He chuckled. "It's just to make him think that's what's going to happen." Taking her hand, he began to lead her through the crowd to the door.

Someone grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Can I talk to you?" Christina asked, slightly annoyed.

"Uh, sure," Fayth said, glancing at Aaron. "I'll meet you at the car." He smiled and nodded before leaving. She turned back to her friend. "What's up?"

"You mean other than you showing up at Nicky's with a guy after telling me you didn't want to go on a date?" Chris asked.

Fayth shrugged. "I changed my mind."

"But Aaron Abbott?" Chris said. "Do you know what kind of guy he is?"

"Hot?" Fayth joked.

"He treats girls like dirt," Christina stated.

"He doesn't seem that bad to me," Fayth said. "He's been pretty nice to me, actually." Really nice, considering she was kind of using him. "And where did you hear that from, anyways?"

"Tyler's friends," Chris answered.

"You mean that group of jackasses?"

"They're not jackasses," Chris sighed. "Only you think that."

"And apparently only you guys think Aaron's a prick."

"Not just us. Most of Spencer Academy as well."

Fayth let out an annoyed sighed. "Why don't you get back to your date and I'll get back to mine, 'kay?"

"How about you come meet Tyler before you leave?"

"How about no," Fayth answered, glancing at the table of six.

"You really don't want to see Reid, do you?"

"No I don't," Fayth said stubbornly.

"Then why did you come to Nicky's?" Christina's eyes widened. "Oh. My. God."

"What?"

"You're using Aaron to make Reid jealous." Fayth looked away and Christina folded her arms. "You're unbelievable."

"Why?"

"I thought you were over him?"

"I am," Fayth said defensively.

"Obviously not, or you wouldn't be using Aaron!"

"Keep your voice down," Fayth hissed. "You wanted me to go on a date, so I'm on a date."

"Does Aaron know?"

"Yes, he figured it out," Fayth replied. "And he, like me, was all for pissing off Reid. Now I have to go. Aaron's waiting. Don't tell Reid."

"And if I do?" Chris challenged.

"Chris, please," Fayth said, her voice softening.

Her friend's face softened and she sighed. "Don't fuck Aaron."

"Do you really think I'd do that?" Fayth asked, cracking a smile. "Did it work?"

The girl shook her head. "He's pissed."

Fayth smirked. "Good."

Christina chuckled. "Talk to you tomorrow."

Fayth slipped through the crowd and into the parking lot and walked over to Aaron's car. She slid into the passenger's seat, shut the door and smiled. "Let's go."

"Did we do our job?" Aaron asked, starting the engine.

"I think we did," Fayth answered, smiling.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hi everyone! I'm so sorry for not updating sooner! I temporarily lost my muse and had a little writer's block, but I'm back! I'll try to update soon, I swear!**

The next few days dragged by slowly and were uneventful. Fayth listened to Christina gush about Tyler Simms all day Sunday and between classes on Monday and Tuesday. She spent most of her class time texting with Aaron, mostly out of boredom. Contrary to what her friend had said, he wasn't a bad guy. And they had quite a bit in common. At one point her math teacher threatened to take away her cell phone, so she had to put it away. Wednesday finally came around, even though it felt like a week had gone by since Saturday instead of three days. Fayth hadn't seen Reid since that night, but the image of the flames in his eyes was still at the forefront of her mind. What the hell had happened Friday night?

A little after one in the afternoon, Fayth was sitting in her history class beside Christina, waiting for the teacher to begin. She tapped her pencil's eraser repeatedly on her notebook, completely bored. The teacher moved to the front of the room and cleared her throat, calling everyone's attention.

"Who can recall what we began discussing on Monday?" the teacher asked. Her gaze swept the room and landed on a boy near the back. "Luke, why don't you remind us."

All eyes turned to the boy, who shifted in his seat. "Um. We had begun talking about the history of Massachusetts and how the Witch Trials began here."

The teacher nodded. "At least you got the idea." The class chuckled. "Now, instead of boring you with a lecture of each town, I've decided to assign you a project. You will be in groups of two, and each group will be assigned a town in Massachusetts. You will then research said town and write a five page paper on its history. For extra credit, each group will be given the choice of giving the class a presentation on what you've researched. The presentation is not a substitute for the paper, it's just an extra credit opportunity. And before you ask, yes, you may choose your partners."

Fayth and Chris looked at each other.

"Partners?" Chris asked.

"Duh," Fayth smiled.

"Now, you have two weeks to work on this project. You will be given class time, but I expect you to work on this outside of class as well. You have ten minutes to decide what town you want. If someone picks a town before you, well, they get it. So choose quickly. I'll pass out the handouts and outlines." The teacher picked up a stack of papers from her desk and began making her way around the room.

"So, what town should we do?" Fayth asked, leaning back in her seat.

"Let's do Ipswich," Christina answered.

Fayth frowned. "Why?"

"Well, number one, we're already here. So it'll be easy to learn the history because we can visit landmarks and stuff. Number two, didn't the teacher say on Monday that the witchcraft stuff started here? Isn't that cool?"

"I guess," Fayth said. "Okay, we'll do Ipswich. Mrs. Finch?"

The teacher turned to face them. "Yes?"

"Christina and I want to research Ipswich," Fayth said.

The teacher smiled. "Very well. Okay class, Ipswich is off the market."

* * * * * * *

The last bell rang and the two girls pushed past the other students as they made their way to the parking lot. Once they were in the truck, Fayth put it in drive and they pulled away from the school.

"So, do you want to go to the library?" Christina asked.

"I don't know. We probably should go today and tomorrow, and then we can have the weekend free," Fayth sighed.

Chris nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

An hour later, they were sitting at a table at the back of the library, books spread across the table. Papers with notes scribbled on them were strewn over the books. Christina closed the book she'd been reading and groaned. "I'm so booored."

Fayth smirked. "You're the one who wanted to do this today."

"I know," Chris whined. "What's wrong with me?"

Rolling her eyes, Fayth returned her attention to the book she'd started reading. Turning the page, she frowned. "Hey, listen to this. _'The history of Ipswich is a bloody one, mainly due to the Witch Trials that pushed people into hysteria from fear. Ipswich was founded in 1666 by five families: Putnum, Danvers, Parry, Simms and Garwin.'_" She looked up and met her friend's astonished gaze. Reid was the descendant of the founders of Ipswich?

"That's deep," Chris said. Fayth nodded and swallowed. "What else does it say?"

Her eyes returned to the book. "_'The five founding families, who many referred to as a covenant, fled the religious persecutions in England in 1665, and arrived in Massachusetts in 1666, where they established the Ipswich colony. The people of the colony lived in peace and the population grew as more people arrived at what many called "The Colony of Miracles." That was until 1692, when the hysteria of witchcraft made its way from England to the little town. _

_"In March of 1692, a woman known as Agnes Goodwin Pope accused one of the five founders, John Putnam, of being an incubus who appeared at her window every night to enchant her with black magick. Not long after, the town of Salem began its gruesome Witch Trials. In December of 1692, John Putnam is arrested and hanged, thus ending the fifth founding family's bloodline. The other four __founding families seemed to almost vanish, only to reappear every few years.'_" Fayth leaned back, staring at the page she'd just read aloud. She lifted her eyes to meet her friend's, who looked at a loss for words. She licked her lips. "That..."

"That's crazy," Christina said. "So, the witchcraft thing started with John Putnam?"

"I guess," Fayth replied.

"No wonder Spencer students call Tyler and them the Sons of Ipswich," Christina mused.

"They do?"

"Yeah. Who'd of thought that those four boys were connected to the Witch trials," Chris sighed.

Fayth shrugged. "Weird, huh?" But her thoughts were elsewhere. As she'd read, the image of Reid's eyes pushed its way to the front of her mind again. She replayed the memory of the pool game, looking for any possibility that what she'd seen hadn't happened. But she couldn't. Reid had gone for an impossible shot and had made it, and that had only happened because his eyes had briefly flamed over. And now she'd found out that he, or his family, was connected to the Witch Trials.

"We should interview them," Chris suggested.

"Who?"

"The Sons of Ipswich," she clarified. "Maybe they can give us some stories or something for our report. Info that has been passed down through their families."

"Maybe," Fayth said slowly, chewing on her bottom lip.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Fayth smiled. "Really," she insisted when her friend simply raised an eyebrow.

"Alright," Chris said, her voice saying that she knew Fayth was lying.

"Look, we'll come back here tomorrow after school. And then maybe next week we can interview the Sons of Ipswich, 'kay?" Fayth said.

* * * * * * *

The last bell of the day rang, and Fayth jumped from her seat, thankful that it was finally Friday. Her and Christina had spent a good four hours at the library Thursday after school. And now they had the whole weekend to just chill out. Once outside, she saw Ryan, Kyle and Christina standing around her truck. Smiling, she skipped over to them, unlocked the truck and opened the door, and tossed her bag onto the seat. "Okay, people. What's the plan for the weekend?"

"Well, Nicky called," Christina began. "He said the crowd loved us and wanted to know if we'd do another show tonight. He said we could do a couple of our own songs, but for the most part we'd still need to do the juke box thing."

"That's great!" Fayth said, her smile growing. "What are we waiting for? Let's go set up!"

Two and a half hours later, the four of them were at Nicky's, finishing up the set up. After collecting the band's things, Fayth had dropped the boys off at the bar and then her and Christina had rushed off to change. And now they were waiting for Nicky to open the doors.

Christina leaned against the stage and looked at her. "So."

"So... what?" Fayth asked.

"You going to behave tonight, or am I going to have to help you break up a fight between two boys?" Christina asked casually.

Fayth rolled her eyes. "If any fights happen, it's not my fault."

"Bullshit," Chris smirked. "You're just as much a trouble maker as I am."

Fayth's lips twitched. "We don't even know if both guys will be here tonight."

"That's bullshit, too. Spencer kids always come here. And Reid and Aaron always get into fights."

Fayth shrugged. "If they always get into fights, then anything that happens tonight is not my fault." Christina raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side. Fayth sighed. "Fine. I promise to be on my best behavior."

Her friend smiled. "Good."

"_But_ if he starts anything, the promise is off," Fayth added, receiving a playful shove from the girl.

"Alright," Chris sighed, and then a mischievous smile lit up her face.

"What?" Fayth asked slowly.

"You should sing tonight."

"Uh, no way."

"Please?"

"Nope."

"Pleeeeease? Just one song."

Fayth grimaced and tried to pull her eyes away from her friend's puppy dog face. Clenching her teeth, she finally growled, "Fine."

Chris clapped happily and hopped up on the stage to let the boys know the plan.

About thirty minutes later, people crowded around the stage while Fayth leaned against the side. But this time, they looked eager to hear the band. Nicky climbed up on the stage and stood before the mic. "Alright, due to many requests, I have invited Hell's Angels back, and they agreed! Enjoy!"

The crowd applauded loudly as he hopped off the stage and Christina stepped up to the mic. "How y'all feeling tonight?" The crowd cheered in response. "Thanks so much for letting us come back, we're happy to play for you. Now tonight we'll be your juke box, but we'll also be mixing in a couple of our own songs." The crowd clapped enthusiastically. "We hope you have fun!" Ryan struck the first chord, which was quickly followed by Kyle's drum and Christina's guitar. Chris opened her mouth and began belting lyrics.

A good three hours later, Fayth jumped up on the stage and smiled at her friends. "Awesome job, guys."

Ryan gulped down water before answering. "Thanks. So when are you going up?"

"You're up next," Christina answered.

"Why do I even have to go?" Fayth whined, crossing her arms.

"Because you have an amazing voice that needs to be shared with the world," Chris said.

Fayth glanced down at her outfit: a pair of dark cargo capris and a tight blue tee, with her favorite black wedge heel sandals. "I'm not dressed to be on stage."

"Puh-lease," Chris said. "You look hot, and you know it." She glanced at her cell phone and set her water bottle down. "Alright, let's do this." Fayth groaned as her friend pulled on the guitar and stepped up to the mic. "Alright everyone! We have a little treat for you this evening. One of our really good friends is here tonight, and would like to perform." The crowd cheered wildly. Chris looked at her and Fayth shook her head. "Aw, I think she's a little shy. How about we give her a little encouragement?" If possible, the crowd cheered even louder and clapped wildly.

Biting her bottom lip, Fayth walked up to the mic after telling Kyle what song she'd sing. Shooting Chris a playful glare, she took a deep breath and faced the crowd, completely aware that all eyes in the bar were on her. And to make the night worse, her eyes immediately spotted a familiar blond head in the crowd. Her stomach clenched as butterflies swarmed within her. Inhaling deeply, she forced a smile. "What's up, people? I'm Fayth Henderson, and as Christina said, I'm a friend of the band's. And don't worry, I'm only singing one song. So when I'm done you can go back to listening to the real band." The crowd laughed. She glanced back at her three friends and nodded, signaling that she was ready. The music started and and she inhaled deeply, trying to calm her nerves. She gripped the mic before opening her mouth.

"_Sittin' over here,_

_starin' in your face_

_with lust in my eyes_

_Sure you don't give a damn and ya_

_Don't know that I've been dreamin' of ya in_

_My fantasies_

_Never once you looked at me_

_Don't even realize that I'm_

_wanting you_

_To fulfill my needs_

_Think what you want_

_Let your mind free_

_Run free to a place where no one dares to_

_How many nights I've laid in bed excited over you_

_I've closed my eyes and thought of us a hundred different ways_

_I've gotten there a hundred different times I wonder how 'bout you_

_Day and night_

_Night and day_

_All I've got to say is_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl."_

She grabbed the mic from the stand and swayed her hips to the music, dipping down and back up as she continued to sing.

"_Allow me some time to play with your mind_

_And you'll get there again and again_

_Close your eyes and imagine my body undressed_

_Take your time 'cuz we've got all night, oooh_

_You on the rise as you're touchin' my thighs and _

_let me know what you like_

_If you like I'll go_

_down da down down down da down down_

_I'll hold you in my hand and baby_

_Your smooth and shiny_

_Feels so good against my lips sugar_

_I want you so bad I can_

_taste your love right now baby_

_Day and night_

_Night and day_

_All I've got to say is_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl_

_I've laid in bed excited over you_

_One hundred different ways I've thought ya_

_Many, maaany_

_day and night, night and day_

_All I've got to say is_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl_

_If I was your girl_

_Oh the things I'd do to you_

_I'd make you call out my name_

_I'd ask who it belongs to_

_If I was your woman_

_The things I'd do to you_

_But I'm not_

_So I can't_

_Then I won't_

_But _

_If I was your girl."_

Breathing deeply, she replaced the mic and licked her lips. The crowd erupted in applause and whistles, making her smile widely. Her eyes met a pair of beautiful blue ones on the crowd and she felt the butterflies swarm through her stomach again as heat rose to her cheeks. An arm curling around her shoulder made her pull her eyes away from his. Christina stood beside her, her lips pulled up in a huge smile.

Chris leaned toward the mic. "What'd you guys think?" People howled and whistled as they clapped loudly. Chris laughed and looked at Fayth before turning her attention back to the crowd. "You guys okay of I take the mic again?"

* * * * * * *

"Told ya you're a great singer," Christina giggled as she jumped off the stage. Ryan and Kyle were breaking down the equipment and lugging it out to the truck. The last of the customers were preparing to leave.

Fayth smiled, shaking her head and glancing away. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"Great job," Nicky boomed. "Here's another three hundred. And Fayth, here's seventy five."

A little shocked, Fayth stuffed the money from the bar owner into her pocket and looked at her friend. "I didn't know I was going to get paid." Her friend shrugged before her face lit up as she looked at something behind her. Turning, Fayth saw Reid and Tyler with two other boys walking over to them. The butterflies began a rampage.

"Awesome," Tyler smiled, pulling Christina into a hug. "Amazing."

"Thanks," Chris replied, tilting her head up. Her hands snaked up his chest to the back of his neck and she pulled him down for a kiss.

"Alright, you two. That's enough," Fayth chuckled. When they didn't pull apart, she playfully smacked the back of her friend's head, receiving herself a glare from the girl. She smiled cheekily. "If you insist on continuing, go find a room." Tyler chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and Chris snaked her arm around his waist.

"Didn't know you could sing like that," Reid commented, his eyes focused on Fayth.

Fayth lifted her chin slightly and folded her arms. As soon as their eyes locked, her chest constricted the tiniest bit. "It's something I discovered a few years ago." An arm slid around her waist at the same time Reid's face darkened. Turning, Fayth smiled. "Hey."

"Hey," Aaron replied. "Great job, up there. You're just full of little talents, aren't you?"

"You know it," Fayth smirked. The twinkle in Aaron's eyes told her that their little game was on again. He tipped his head slightly and returned her smirk. Someone cleared their throat and Fayth looked around, her eyes landing on her best friend, who looked about ready to slap her. "What?"

"Enough," Christina hissed, making everyone look at her.

"Enough of what?" Fayth asked happily, playing dumb.

"You know what. You promise."

With a dramatic sigh, Fayth stepped away from Aaron. "Okay, okay. I'll be a good girl." Her eyes briefly slid to Reid, who was watching her intently. She quickly looked away.

"We should get going," the long haired boy stated, his gaze going from Reid to Aaron to Fayth and back. His three friends nodded. Tyler gave Chris a quick peck on the cheek and followed the other three.

Chris glared at Fayth and Aaron. "You need to take it down a notch, or five."

Fayth rolled her eyes. "Relax, nothing happened."

"Only because Tyler's friend pulled them away. Let's go."

Chuckling, Fayth turned to Aaron. "Well, that was fun. But my warden says it's time to go back to my cell. I'll talk to you later." Aaron nodded and gave her a quick hug before leaving. Inhaling deeply, she tried to shove away the dull throbbing in her chest. Why was this happening again?


	7. Chapter 7

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell across the bed, warming Fayth's face. Sighing, she rolled over and pulled the covers over her head, wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. But instead, her bedroom door slammed open at the same time someone said, "Good morning, Sunshine!" Groaning, she clenched the blankets tighter, but it was no use. A few seconds later the blanket and sheet were ripped from her grip and bright sunlight washed over her. Shooting the girl a glare, she buried her face in her pillow and curled into a ball.

"Come on, Faythy," Christina chirped happily. "Wakey, wakey!"

"No," Fayth mumbled.

"Don't make me get the water," Chris said in a sing song voice.

"You wouldn't," Fayth challenged.

"I've done it once, I'll do it again."

Growling, Fayth rolled from the bed, flipped the annoying girl the bird, and trudged toward the bedroom door.

"You love me and you know it," her friend laughed.

"Not at the moment." After showering, she returned to her bedroom and changed into a pair of light cargo capris and a black spaghetti strap. She combed her red hair and left it to dry around her shoulders, applied a little mascara and eyeliner, clipped on her pendant necklace and added her silver hoops. Turning, she glared at her friend again. "Why did you wake me up?"

"You mean other than the fact that it's noon?" Chris asked. "I was hungry and thought we could go to a diner or something."

Rolling her eyes, Fayth slipped on her black wedge heeled sandals. "You woke me up because you were hungry?"

The girl shrugged. "I figured you'd be waking up soon anyways."

"Let's go," Fayth sighed, grabbing her keys, cell phone and money from the top of her bureau. Out in the truck, she started the engine and backed out of the driveway while her friend found a radio station, and then turned the truck in the direction of their favorite diner. Glancing over, she saw Christina typing on her cell. "Who're you texting?"

Chris hit SEND and stuffed the phone into her pocket. "Tyler."

"And what are you and lover boy talking about?" Fayth asked.

Her friend shrugged. "Nothing much."

After sliding into the booth at the diner and ordering, Fayth rested her head on her arms on the table. "What should we do after this?"

Chris shrugged. "Movie?"

"I guess."

"Hey!"

Looking up, Fayth groaned inwardly as Christina smiled widely and waved them over.

"What are you doing?" Fayth hissed.

"Being friendly," Chris replied before moving over so Tyler could sit beside her. Of course that left one seat at the table. Shooting her friend a glare, Fayth slid over, giving Reid room to sit. The waiter came back and took the boys' orders and then bustled off to tell the cook.

"So, what are you two up to today?" Tyler asked casually, slinging his arm over Christina's shoulders.

Chris shrugged. "Probably going to see a movie."

"What movie?"

"Dunno."

"We should see Wolverine," Fayth pipped up, leaning back in the seat.

"No," Chris groaned.

"Why not?" Fayth asked, smiling.

"You know I hate X-men," Chris stated.

"Oh come on. Hugh Jackman's hot," Fayth said. "Please?" She let out a frustrated breath when her friend shook her head. "You're no fun."

"Well, Reid, haven't you been wanting to see Wolverine?" Tyler asked.

Fayth's attention snapped to the blue eyed brunette, but not before catching Christina's lips twitch. Then she remembered that Christina had been texting Tyler in the truck on the way here. And how convenient that the two boys just happened to come to the exact same diner. Her eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. What were those two up to?

"Yeah," Reid said slowly, eying his friend.

"Well, why don't you and Fayth go see Wolverine, and Christina and I can go to a different movie," Tyler suggested.

That was what they were up to. Those little--

"Sounds good to me," Chris chimed happily.

"Can I talk to you?" Fayth hissed at her friend. The boys stood and let them out of the booth, and Christina followed her out of ear shot of them. Fayth spun to glare at her. "You scheming little bitch."

"What?" Chris asked innocently.

"You setting me up with that jackass!" Fayth fumed quietly.

Chris rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Number one, it was Tyler's idea, not mine. Number two, I only went along with it because both of us are sick of listening to the two of you complain about the other."

Fayth blinked a few times. "He... he talks about me?"

"That's what Tyler says. Well, he mainly complains."

"Complains about what?" Fayth asked. Reid thought about her?

Christina shrugged. "How you're a bitch and he can't figure out what you see in Aaron and shit like that." She smirked. "See? Got your attention. Now your curious."

"Maybe."

"Well if you want to find out what else he thinks about you, you're going to have to ask him."

"No," Fayth said stubbornly. "I don't care what he thinks."

"Bull-shit," Chris said. "You're just pissed."

"Pissed about what?"

"Pissed that as much as you hate to admit it, you still have feelings for Reid," Chris stated.

Fayth's eyebrows pulled together in a frown. "I don't have feelings for that prick."

"Oh, please. I'm your best friend, I can see through your lies." She sighed and stepped closer. "Please, just try a movie. See how it goes."

Clenching her teeth, Fayth glanced back at the guys, who seemed to be having a heated discussion. Taking a deep breath, she growled, "Fine."

A huge smile lit up Christina's face and she grabbed Fayth's hand and dragged her back to the booth, where their food was waiting. "Well we're okay with the plan. How about you guys?"

"We're good," Tyler grinned, moving over so Chris could slid in beside him. Reid's eyes narrowed slightly before he slid over as well, giving Fayth room at the table.

After eating, Fayth and Christina hopped in the truck while Reid and Tyler jumped into a black Hummer. Twenty minutes later, the four of them were standing at the ticket counter at the theater. After letting the door person rip their tickets, they started down the hallway.

"So, after the movies how about we all meet back at Reid's place?" Tyler asked.

"Why?"

He shrugged. "Since your movie starts first, it'll get done first. And since Reid's house is closest, we can meet there."

Fayth and Reid mumbled their agreements and headed for their theater. Just before they walked through the door, someone grabbed Reid's arm and pulled him back. Turning, Fayth saw a girl with long silky dark hair and bright green eyes. Her plump lips curved into what was supposed to be a seductive smile while the hand that wasn't holding Reid's arm slid down her side to rest on her leather skirt-clad hip.

"Hey, Reid," she said, licking her lips and letting her eyes travel the length of him.

Fire burned in Fayth's stomach as her eyes narrowed at the girl. She watched the girl's hand slid down his arm as she stepped closer, and the fire seeped into her veins.

"Hey, Tiffany," Reid smirked.

"It's been too long, Reid," Tiffany said quietly. "Where have you been?"

He shrugged and took a tiny step back. "Around."

"Oh, Reid," she giggled, making Fayth want to slap her. "You're always so mysterious." She took a step closer and Reid stepped back again. "We should hang out."

"I'm actually pretty busy," Reid replied casually, gently pulling his arm out of her grip.

"Aw, come on," Tiffany cooed. "I'll make it worth your while."

"Look, Tiffany. I had a lot of fun with you," Reid began, but was cut off when her lips crashed against his.

Wow, desperate much? Fayth thought. But the fire inside her had turned into an inferno.

Reid pushed the girl away and sighed. "Tiffany, really--" Again he was cut off by the girl's lips against his.

Rolling her eyes, Fayth sighed and stepped forward and cleared her throat. When the girl didn't pull away, she tapped her shoulder. Well, more like poked. The girl looked up and cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, Reid? Our movie's going to start any minute."

He nodded and pulled away from the girl. "Nice seeing you, Tiffany." And then he disappeared into the theater. Flashing the angry girl a false smile, Fayth turned and followed him. Reid stood by the door, waiting for her. "Uh, thanks."

"Friend of yours?" Fayth asked, walking past him.

"Sort of," Reid answered. "We fooled around a little, and she thought it was more serious than it really was."

"Oh. So it didn't work out?"

"She's too... clingy."

"So I saw."

As they took their seats, the lights dimmed and the previews began, but Fayth couldn't concentrate. Why had she felt jealous? Her and Reid weren't even together, let alone friends! She shouldn't care if some slutty girl wants to make out with him. She was over him anyways. Right?

* * * * * * *

The ride to Reid's house was extremely quiet, and somewhat awkward. Neither one tried making conversation and simply stared out the window. As they pulled onto the drive for the Garwin Manor, memory after memory washed over her. The days spent running around and playing hide-and-go-seek, the nights spent chasing lightning bugs. A smile tugged her lips up as she remembered.

"What are you smiling about?"

Blinking, Fayth looked at him. "Nothing." With a shrugged he climbed out of the truck and started for the front door. With a deep breath, she hopped out of the truck and looked up at the large stone building before her. It looked exactly the same, with vines climbing up the walls and the tree branches stretching over the roof. When the front door opened, she hurried after him, but paused when she stepped over the threshold.

_"Reid! Give it back!" _

_The little blond boy raced up the steps and through the door, laughing the entire time. "You gotta be faster than that, Fay!"_

_Fayth ran up the steps and stopped right after going through the door. Reid stood in front of her, dangling the blond Barbie by her hair, his blue eyes gleaming. "Reid, give it back."_

_"You have to say the magic words," Reid sang, his lips curved in a smirk._

_"I'm not saying them," Fayth said, crossing her arms. "It's stupid."_

_Reid took a step back. "Are you sure?" He took another step back. "Really sure?"_

_"Give it back," she whined, stomping one foot. "It's mine."_

_"Those aren't the magic words," he sang, taking another step backwards. "Come on, Fay. Just say it."_

_"Why do I have to say it?"_

_"Because it's the only way you'll get your doll."_

_Her lips pushed out in a pout and she frowned. "It's stupid. I don't wanna say it."_

_"Fay."_

_"No."_

_"Fay."_

_"No!"_

_"Fay."_

_"Fine! I... love you."_

_His smirk grew and he tossed her the doll._

"Fay?"

She blinked and looked up at the tall boy standing in front of her. His face had grown out of its child pudginess and became slightly more angular, and his blond hair hung over his amazing blue eyes in a sexy mess. Something in her chest changed, but it wasn't painful. It was a stutter in her heartbeat. That same stutter she used to feel when they were growing up.

"Fay, you okay?"

She licked her lips and glanced away. "Yeah. Fine." And now she couldn't deny it. She still had feelings for the blond prick.


	8. Chapter 8

Fayth walked past him into the manor and looked around. Just like the outside, nothing had changed. The staircase leading up to the second floor was still covered in a dark red carpet, and the hallways leading off to the living room, dining room, kitchen and library hadn't changed. Her eyes followed the sleek wooden banister up along the stairs.

"Are you going to stand there all day?" Reid asked.

She blinked and looked at him. "Sorry. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Remember when we were eight, and you dared me to slide down the banister?" The question was out of her mouth before she'd given it a second thought.

Reid's eyes moved to the stairs, and the corners of his lips twitched into a small smile. "Yeah. You fell off halfway down, and our moms thought you had broken your leg, even though you'd just hurt it. You were never one to turn down a dare." He swallowed and shifted his weight. "Um. You thirsty or something?"

"Sure," Fayth replied.

"I'll get us some soda. You can have a seat in the living room. It's right through that hall--"

"I know where the living room is. I've been here before," Fayth snapped, her tone a little harsher than she'd meant. She brushed past him and entered the living room, dropping down on the leather couch. What the hell was she doing here? Why had she agreed to come to his house? She should have insisted on meeting somewhere else! Reid came in and handed her a glass. "Thanks."

He dropped onto the seat beside her and leaned against the arm of the couch, a glass in his hand as well. He took a drink and stared at the black screen of the large television, his leg bouncing. Silence fell between them.

"The place hasn't changed," Fayth commented, glancing around.

Reid shrugged. "I guess." A few minutes of silence passed before he broke it. "Remember when you hid under my bed and grabbed my foot when I walked by it?"

Fayth smiled at the memory. "I don't think I've ever heard anyone scream as loud as you did. But you got back at me."

"Not really, my plan backfired. After I convinced you that my house was haunted, you made me spend three hours looking for the ghost. Instead of being scared shitless, you were curious."

"And then it took you another hour to convince me that you'd been lying," Fayth chuckled. "Oh, what about the time we tried to make our own smoothies?"

"We forgot to put the top on the blender, and made a huge mess in the kitchen," Reid said, smiling. "Mom made us clean up every single drop. What about the time I made you watch Scream?"

"Oh my god, I was so scared after," Fayth chuckled. "And the same night, you dressed up in black with a Scream mask and chased me around the house." Reid's laughter mixed with her own. "It's not funny! I couldn't sleep for two weeks!"

"It's not like you didn't get back at me."

Fayth's smile grew. "True. That walkie-talkie prank was pretty good." Her smile faded. "I think it was the last good trick I did before we... stopped talking." She watched the humor leave his face, and felt her forehead crease in a frown. "Why'd you do it?"

He shifted in his seat and glanced at her. "Do what?"

"End our friendship like you did."

He leaned forward, his eyes dropping to the floor. "I don't know."

"You're lying," Fayth stated.

He looked up at her and frowned. "What?"

"You're lying," she repeated.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes unreadable. "Things just weren't working out, okay? That's it."

"Don't bullshit me," Fayth said.

"If you don't think that's the truth, then fine. Believe what you want."

"I know that that's not the truth."

He stood and looked down at her. "Things were complicated, okay? I was... starting to have some problems, and I didn't know how to deal with them."

"What kind of problems?"

"Problems you wouldn't understand."

She stood and glared up at him, anger beginning to boil within her. "Why do you have to be so damn secretive?"

"Why do you have to be so damn nosy?" Reid shot back angrily.

"I'm just trying to figure out what the hell happened!"

"I changed."

"No shit!"

The front door opened and closed and laughter filled the house. Tyler and Christina came into view, smiling with their fingers intertwined. As soon as they looked at the two by the couch, their smiles fell.

"Uh, what's up?" Chris asked hesitantly.

Throwing Reid one last glare, Fayth shoved past him and headed for the door. "We're leaving. Now." Pausing by the front door, she turned and looked at her friend. "Are you coming or what?"

"Um," Chris began, her gaze going from her friend to Reid and then to Tyler.

"Well?" Fayth asked angrily.

"I can take her home in a little while," Tyler offered, clearly uneasy.

Christina studied her for a moment. "I think I'm going to hang out with Ty for a little while."

"Fine." The door slammed behind her and she stormed to the truck. Once in, she shoved the key in the ignition, revved the engine to life, and stepped down on the gas pedal. Stones flew out behind her as the truck raced forward down the drive.

Twenty minutes later, she was running up the stairs of her house and slamming her bedroom door. She jumped onto her bed, buried her face in her pillow, and screamed. Why did he have to be such a prick? She just wanted answers, that was it! It didn't matter that they weren't friends anymore or that she still had feelings for him. She just wanted to know why he'd ended things! She took a deep breath and screamed again.

Around five, her bedroom door opened and Christina walked in. "So, you want to tell me what happened today?"

"Nothing."

"Well obviously it was something," Chris said. "I mean, Reid was in a bad mood the whole time Ty and I were there."

"The whole time you were there?" Fayth repeated. "How long were you there for?"

"Um, a couple hours I think?"

"Why the fuck were you there for a couple hours?" Okay, so she was still angry. Really angry.

Chris frowned. "We were hanging out."

"Hanging out or making out?" Fayth asked angrily.

"Hanging out," Chris said defensively. "What's your problem?"

"Reid, Tyler and you!"

"Me? What did I do?"

"What the hell were you thinking!" Fayth stood from her bed and glared at the girl. "How could you send me off with Reid like that! You know I hate him!"

"You don't hate him!" Christina challenged. "You still like him and you know it."

"That's none of your business! My feelings are mine!"

"I was trying to help you!"

"How? By humiliating me and making me look like a bitchy idiot? Well, congrads! You did it!"

"That's not what I was trying to do!"

"Well, please, enlighten me! What was going through your head when you agreed to help Tyler set me and Reid up!"

"I just wanted you to realize that you didn't hate him," Chris said, her voice rising. "I know you still have feelings for him!"

"Why can't you just leave my feelings alone!"

"Because you've been running from them for five years," Chris answered angrily.

"So what?"

"You're in denial."

"Big freaking deal! If I want to run, then let me!"

Letting out an angry sigh, Christina spun and stormed toward the door. She grabbed the handle and yanked it open, but paused to look back. "You can't run from the truth forever." With that, she slammed the door behind her.

Clenching her teeth, Fayth fell back onto her bed and glared at the ceiling. She loved Chris like a sister, but sometimes she was just too much.


	9. Chapter 9

By the time Monday came around, Fayth was still angry. Her and Christina hadn't spoken since the tiff, which was probably a good thing. They needed a little time to cool down. After pulling into a spot in the school parking lot, she jumped out of the truck and headed for her first class. For some reason, she wasn't surprised to see Tyler Simm's black Hummer in the parking lot with the youngest Son of Ipswich and the blond girl standing beside it. Her eyes met her friend's briefly before she looked away and climbed the front steps.

As classes dragged on, Fayth found herself zoning in and out of the lectures. She made a point to sit a few seats away from Christina, not wanting to start any more arguments. When the last bell rang, she walked out to her truck, her eyes unable to miss the black Hummer pulling into the lot. Clenching her teeth, she jumped into the truck, slammed the door, started the engine and banched away from the school. Once at her house, she shut herself in her bedroom.

The next morning was almost the same. After dropping her sister off at school, she drove to the high school. Again, the Hummer was parking in the lot, and again, she made a few quick seconds of eye contact with the blond girl before entering the school. When third period finally came, Fayth found herself in history class. The fight between her and Reid and then her and Christina, the history project had been pushed to the back of her mind. But now, she found herself sitting at the same table as her friend.

"So, the paper is due on Friday," Chris began, doodling on her notebook.

"Yeah," Fayth replied. "We should probably finish the paper."

The girl nodded. "When do you want to do it?"

"I'm free after school today. We can go to the library and type it up."

"Okay. You want to make up an outline now, so we have an idea what we're going to write?"

"Sure."

After pulling out the notes they'd taken the week before, they set to work. When the bell rang, they had an outline and plan, and agreed to meet up at the truck after classes. At three thirty, the two girls were walking into the library. Two awkward hours later, they were waiting for the last two pages of the paper to print. Chris had pulled her phone out and was typing as she leaned against the printer table.

"Who're you texting?" Fayth asked, though felt she already knew.

"Tyler. He'll be here in about five minutes," Chris answered, tucking the phone into her pocket.

"I could've brought you home."

She shrugged. "We'd planned to hang out later anyways. And this way you don't have to go out of your way, 'cause he's coming from Spencer, which is like three minutes away."

With a slight roll of her eyes, Fayth grabbed the papers from the printer and started back to the computer, but stopped. "Oh, crap. We forgot the bibliography."

"Ah, damn," Christina sighed. "I hate those things."

"You go, I'll do it," Fayth said, shuffling through their notes to look for the book titles they'd used.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, go. It should only take me about fifteen minutes."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Yep." She watched the blond girl collect her things and head for the library doors. A few minutes later, she began weaving her way through the shelves, searching for the books. As she wandered, her thoughts drifted away from the paper they'd finished. Why did Reid have to be such an ass? What had happened to the boy she'd grown up with? And why couldn't he just give her answers, why did he have to be so secretive?

Pausing in an aisle, she let out an annoyed huff before looking around and realizing that the books she needed were scattered in the rows in front of her. A little over ten minutes later, she returned the books to their shelves, packed up her things, and headed out to the parking lot.

The next couple days were the same as Monday. The two girls barely spoke to one another, except in class, although Christina seemed quieter than usual. She'd sit at her desk and stare off into space, looking deep in thought. After the final bell on Tuesday, Fayth watched the blond girl pause for a few moments before slowly approaching the black Hummer. Friday afternoon, Fayth walked into her history class and handed the teacher the paper and bibliography. The next hour and a half consisted of presentations by the goody goody students who wanted the extra credit, though many of them probably didn't need it.

When the last bell rang, Fayth joined the flow of students as she headed for the parking lot, jumped in the truck, and raced away from the school, glad it was the weekend. Around six thirty, her cell phone began vibrating on her nightstand. With a quick glance at the caller ID, she flipped it open. "Hey!"

"Hey, what's up?" Aaron replied.

"Eh, not much. Just laying on my bed, doing nothing," Fayth answered.

"Mmm, sounds fun."

"Haha, oh yeah. Lots."

"So what are you doing next Saturday?"

"Um, I don't know. Why?" Fayth asked, running a hand through her hair.

"I've thought of a way to piss off Garwin again." It was easy to hear the smile in his voice.

"I'm thinking you get too much joy out of doing that," Fayth smiled.

He chuckled. "It's possible. So what do you say?"

"What are you thinking?" she asked slowly.

"Well, my school's having a special dance, a Spring Festival, on Saturday. It's the school's way of saying goodbye to the seniors. Want to go?"

"You want me to crash a Spencer school party?" Fayth asked, unable to stop her lips from lifting into a sly smile. Oh, how she loved getting into a little trouble.

"It wouldn't really be crashing. We're allowed o bring guests, so you'd just be my guest," Aaron corrected.

"Hmm. I don't know. Crashing a party sounds a lot more fun than just attending one."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Aaron laughed. "But do you want to go? If so, I need to get the tickets."

She tapped her bottom lip with her index finger, thinking. To go or not to go. Did she really want to see the jerk again? Yes... er, no. Maybe. Ugh! "Okay. I'll go." Well, she always had fun hanging out with Aaron. If she happened to piss Reid off even more, so be it.

"Great! It's a formal thing, so you'll need to dress up. Er. You do wear dresses, right? I've never really seen you in anything other than pants."

"Haha, very funny. I'll go buy a dress." A little while later, they said their goodbyes and hung up. She lay back on her bed and stared up at her ceiling. Well, she should probably go shopping. The next morning, she walked into the kitchen to grab a quick bite to eat before heading out.

"Morning, hunny," her mom said.

"Morning."

"Any plans for today?"

"I'm running out to do a little shopping. Aaron's taking me to a Spencer dance next Saturday," Fayth answered as she grabbed a bowl and began pouring herself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. "So I need to go buy a dress."

"Oh, that's nice. Are you going with Christina?"

"No. By myself. Chris is probably hanging out with her new boyfriend."

"Who's her boyfriend?" her mom asked.

"Tyler Simms," Fayth replied, sliding into a chair after pouring milk onto her cereal.

"Oh."

Twenty minutes later, Fayth was climbing into her truck and pulling out of the driveway. Three hours later, she was standing in front of a store mirror, turning one way, and then the other, watching the material move on her body. The dress' thin straps connected to the top, where the material plunged into a low V-neck, and then the material draped down to the floor. The dress clung to her curves perfectly and the dark, almost midnight color contrasted beautifully with her dark red hair. The silky material reminded her of a waterfall at night. It was perfect.

Fayth spent Sunday doing homework that she'd neglected. And then the school week started up again, the same as the previous week. She'd see Tyler and Christina in the parking lot in the morning and afternoon, and during school hours her and Chris would barely speak. Now, some may call it childish, to ignore someone because of a stupid little argument. But like Fayth, Chris was somewhat stubborn. So until the other made the first attempt at apologizing, they refused to speak unless when it was necessary in class.

Friday night around six, Ryan and Kyle showed up at her front door, telling Fayth that the three of them were going out and that if she didn't agree they'd drag her out of the house kicking and screaming. And so she went, knowing all too well that that was a threat they'd actually fulfill. After grabbing a quick bite to eat, they raced to the theater to catch an evening show of the new Transformers movie. Although she hated to admit it, Fayth needed some time out with old friends. The three of them laughed and joked around all through dinner and after the movie on the way home. Both boys knew better than to mention the fight going on between her and Chris, although they most likely had no idea what it was about.

Saturday morning, Fayth woke up around eleven and immediately began planning for the night. Normally, she wasn't a girly-girl. But tonight, she decided to make sure certain people would notice her. After talking with Aaron around one in the afternoon, they agreed that he would pick her up at seven. The dance started around seven thirty, so that would give them time to get there and park. Around four, she jumped in the shower to wash up and shave. A good forty-five minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around herself and threw on a pair of shorts and a long tee shirt before rushing downstairs to have a quick dinner.

"Are you sure you want to go?" her father asked for the fiftieth time.

"Yes, dad," Fayth sighed, smiling.

"And you feel comfortable around this boy?"

"Yes, dad," she repeated.

"And this is the same guy you went to that bar with?"

She nodded, shaking her head playfully. He was definitely going into father mode.

"Seeing as how this is your second date with him, I want to meet him," he declared.

Sighing, she said, "Fine. But don't scare him, alright?"

"How would I scare him?" he asked, faking offense.

"Oh I'm sure you could come up with a way. Remember that boy from my sophomore year? He came by to pick me up for a date and you, being the over protective father that you are, greeted him at the door holding a knife and told him that if he hurt me, no one would find his body."

"Ah, I was just joking," her father said, unable to stop his smile.

"He didn't think so. He never got closer than a foot to me," Fayth said, wagging her finger at him. "So don't go scaring this guy."

"Alright, alright. I'll try."

When she finished around five thirty, she hurried back up the stairs to the bathroom. An hour later, she had managed to make her hair cooperate, and it was now curled and pulled back into a stylish bun with a few strands framing her face. Her eyelids were painted with silver and blue, while her eyes were framed with black eyeliner and mascara. She returned to her bedroom and painted her nails to match the dress.

When they were dry, she carefully pulled the tee shirt over her head, stripped out of the shorts and tossed the garments on her bed before grabbing a black thong and slipping it on. A knock on the door made her look at her clock, which read five minutes after seven. She heard her father answer the door and greet whoever it was, and then heard Aaron's voice. Smiling, she pulled on the silky dress, adjusted the material, and did a few quick finishing touches of her make up. After slipping on her pair of black heeled sandals, which she'd bought with the dress, clipped on her silver pendant necklace and added a pair of dangling star earrings, grabbed her phone and walked out of the bedroom at seven twenty.

Taking a deep breath to ease her sudden nerves, she began a slow decent down the stairs. She immediately saw Aaron, wearing a black tux, talking with her parents, near the door. His eyes found her first, followed by her parents' gazes. She smiled widely and paused at the bottom of the stairs. "Hey."

"Hey. You look great," Aaron replied, returning her smile.

"Oh, sweety," her mother cooed hurrying forward to pull her into a hug.

"Mom, don't," Fayth laughed. "You're overreacting."

"You look beautiful," her mom smiled as she stepped back.

"Thanks. But we need to get going."

Her father's voice made them pause at the door. "You two behave yourselves."

"Dad!"

"Have fun!" her mother added before shuffling them out and closing the door.

Once they seated themselves in Aaron's car, he started the engine and backed out of the driveway. "So, because you took so long getting ready, we're going to be late."

"I didn't take that long! I was only about twenty minutes later getting downstairs," Fayth defended playfully.

"Doesn't matter. We're still going to be late," Aaron chuckled.

"Oh, please. The party doesn't start 'til I get there, 'cause I am the party!"


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: hey, sorry this chapter is so short. I just needed to get this scene done so I could move on. Enjoy!**

When the car was parked, they climbed out and headed toward the large gym, where a line of students were waiting to get in. Fayth licked her lips and took a deep breath. Why was she suddenly so nervous? This was just a dance, for crying out loud! A party, that was it. Aaron slipped his hand into hers and smiled down at her before tugging her hand to make her walk faster. They joined the large group of people, who all cast curious glances at her.

Aaron pulled her closer to him and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You look amazing," he murmured. "Everyone'll be jealous."

She chuckled and leaned against him, fully enjoying the glares a few nearby girls were sending her. As her gaze scanned the crowd, she felt her stomach lurch. Not only was Reid standing a little ways away, his arm around some brunette's shoulders, but Christina was standing beside Tyler, her fingers intertwined with his. A tall dark haired boy was standing with a pretty blond girl, while a light brown, long haired boy was standing with his arm around a pretty dark skinned girl. When my eyes returned to the blond boy and his apparent date, I felt a brief flash of fire in my veins. Aaron's voice pulled my attention away from the little group.

"Fayth, this is Brody," Aaron said, nodding to a boy who had just appeared behind us. "Brody, Fayth."

Fayth smiled and nodded in recognition. "Hey."

He returned the smile. "Hey."

Ten minutes later, they were walking through the door and into the gym. It looked wonderful. Colored lights were flashing from the ceiling, where streamers decorated the ceiling and walls. Three tables presented an array of foods and punch on one side of the gym, while the other was occupied by the DJ, with large speakers on either side of him. Music was already blaring. Smiling, Fayth pulled Aaron and Brody into the middle of the room, where people were already dancing, and began to move her hips. Music always made her stress melt away, and she could already feel herself relaxing.

An hour and a half later, they wove their way around moving bodies to a less crowded place near the wall opposite the food tables. Fayth leaned against the cool wall while Aaron and Brody began talking about some sport team or whatever. Sensing a pair of eyes, she glanced around and met Christina's gaze. A moment later, Tyler's gaze joined the blond girl's. She pushed off the wall and stood by Aaron, only half listening to his and his friend's conversation. A little while later, Aaron and Brody were still discussing football... or was it baseball?

"Well, this conversation is incredibly interesting, boys," Fayth said.

Aaron smiled. "Sorry. Do you want to dance?"

"Nah. Keep talking. I'm just going to get some punch." She wandered through the crowd to the punch table and poured herself a cup. As she sipped, she studied the food tables, debating whether or not she felt like eating.

"Hey."

Turning, she came face to face with the tall dark haired boy and the long light brown haired boy who she'd seen with Reid and number of times. "Uh, hi."

"So you're Fayth, huh?" the long haired boy stated, giving her a brief once over.

"Yeah," she said slowly. "And you are?"

"Caleb Danvers," the dark haired boy said, holding out his hand politely. "This is Pogue Parry."

After a brief hand shake, Fayth pulled her hand back. "Nice to meet you." The two boys stood and watched her for a minute. "Did you want something?"

"Why do you want to know Reid's secret so badly?" Pogue asked suddenly.

A little taken aback at his bluntness, she said, "I don't think anything between me and Reid is any or your business."

"And Reid's secret is none of your business," Pogue shot back.

"I don't care about some stupid secret," Fayth snapped. "I just wanted to know why him turning thirteen meant we couldn't be friends anymore." She hadn't meant to say that much. Damn it. Turning, she quickly returned to Aaron and Brody, leaving the two boys to watch her retreating back.

"What did Golden Boy and Biker Boy want?" Brody asked.

It took her a moment to figure out who he was talking about. "Nothing. Just saying hi."

About an hour later, Aaron had had to nudge her many times to pull her gaze away from the blond prick and his date, who in her opinion, seemed a bit slutty. An elbow to her side made her look around at her date and his friend. "What?"

"Go talk to him," Aaron ordered.

"Talk to who?" Fayth asked, playing dumb and slightly embarrassed at being caught, again. Aaron cocked an eyebrow while his friend rolled his eyes. "No. I'm not talking to him."

"Well it's clear you have a thing for him," Brody said.

"I do not," she said defensively.

"Seeing as how you can't go more than five minutes without looking at him, I'd say you do," Brody smirked. "Though I have no idea why."

Honestly, she didn't either, and that really bugged her. So she just folded her arms and looked at the floor.

"Go. Talk," Aaron said, nudging her again. "Either that, or I'm going to drag you out to my car and have my way with you."

She raised her eyes to meet his. "You wouldn't."

He gave her a Don't-Test-Me look. "You look incredible tonight, every guy can see that, and you dressed up like that for a reason. Now go get what you came here for."

"I... I came to hang out with you and have a good time. And if, by some chance, I pissed off a couple people, then so be it," Fayth said, somewhat confused.

"Pissing him off is the reason you told yourself. But we both know you just wanted to see him."

She stared at him for a moment. "I don't like this Aaron. I like the Aaron who enjoyed helping me piss people off."

"Oh, trust me. I'm pissing someone off."

"Who?"

"Me," he said simply. "I'm pissing myself off for pushing a hot girl toward Garwin, when I'd much rather have her in the back seat of my car for the night."

"Wow. Thanks," she said sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes, he chuckled. "It's easy to tell you like him –"

"How?" she demanded.

"You get this look in your eyes whenever he's around and whenever you see him," Aaron answered. When she snorted and looked away, he chuckled. "Stop being so stubborn and go talk!"

"Fine. Fine!" She smiled, somewhat glad he was telling her these things. It gave her a reason to force herself to talk to him. Turning, she spotted him on the edge of the dancing crowd, his date's arms wrapped around his neck. Taking a few steps, she paused when the girl's face drew closer to his. Her feet stopped, and it felt like time slowed. The girl pressed her lips to his, and he returned her kiss.

Fayth's stomach flipped as her body went cold. She watched their kiss deepen, and felt her eyes prickling as her chest constricted. Someone's uneasy cough made her turn to look at the two boys. Brody was staring at the floor, while Aaron was watching her, a look of apology on his handsome face.

"Fayth," he began.

"It's fine," Fayth said, cutting him off. "He's busy right now, so... so maybe I'll talk to him later." When he opened his mouth again, she raised her hand to silence him. "I'm going to step outside for a few minutes. It's... it's really hot in here." Without waiting for a reply, she walked quickly toward the door, but not before seeing Christina, Tyler, Caleb and Pogue all watching her. Silently cursing, she rushed out into the dark night.


	11. Chapter 11

The cool air hit her bare skin and made her inhale sharply before blinking her eyes rapidly in an attempt to keep the tears from escaping. Could she have been any stupider? Just because she had shown up didn't mean he'd drop everything he was doing to try and talk to her, especially after their fight. Why would he leave his date for her? She'd been a complete bitch to him since they ran into each other at Nicky's that night. She was so stupid!

"Fayth?"

Closing her eyes briefly, she inhaled deeply and turned. "What?"

"Are you okay?" Christina asked, looking concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Fayth asked, forcing her voice to sound carefree.

"Sorry you saw... that kiss."

"Wasn't your fault. And besides, it's not like we're together, or even friends. He can kiss whoever he wants." But as she said it, her chest constricted again. What was that saying? You don't have to be together to get hurt. And damn it, Reid Garwin had hurt her more times than he would ever know. But that was something no one else would know.

"We didn't expect you to be here," Chris said, shifting her feet uneasily.

"'Course not," Fayth shrugged. "Wouldn't expect you to."

"I'm sure if he knew you were coming he wouldn't have brought that girl," Chris tried.

Fayth laughed humorously. "Yeah right."

"I don't think he meant to hurt you, or even knew that he had. He just didn't know how to handle it."

"Handle what?" Fayth asked frowning slightly. When the blond girl gave an awkward shrug, it dawned on her. "You know why he ended our friendship, don't you?"

"I... sort of," Chris confessed, but then quickly added, "But I can't tell you."

"Why?"

"Because it's... it's something that if he wants you to know, he should tell you himself."

Shaking her head, Fayth cast her gaze to the side. "This is ridiculous."

"If you just tell him how you feel –"

"No. There's nothing to tell."

"Fayth."

"Forget it, Chris. He made his choice, and it's time I accepted that."

Angry voices filled the night air and the gym door opened and a small group of people stormed out. The two girls turned, and Fayth felt a brief flash of anger and pain.

"What the hell?" Reid asked. "Since when is it a crime to kiss your date?"

"Since Fayth is here," Tyler replied angrily.

"Pff. She's with Abbott."

"You can be such an idiot, you know that?" Tyler shot back.

"Guys," Caleb sighed, before looking around. And then his eyes landed on the two girls.

"How am I an idiot?"

"Haven't you noticed Fayth watching you all night?"

"Guys." Caleb's voice was sterner as his eyes snapped back to the two arguing boys.

"I... what?"

"Yeah!" Tyler said.

"Guys!" The two boys looked up at Caleb, who gave a quick nod toward the girls. All four boys looked over, and Reid's face seemed to fall, while Tyler looked slightly horrified.

Trying to force the heat from her cheeks, Fayth walked quickly away from the blond girl, past the four boys, and back into the gym. She walked right up to Aaron, forced a smile, and grabbed his hand. "Dance with me." If Reid was too preoccupied with his date to notice her, then she'd just ignore him and have a good time with Aaron and his friend. She'd dressed up for this party, and there was no point in wasting time crying over a stupid boy.

* * * * * * *

The next few days, Fayth did anything she could to keep her mind off the blond prick. Homework, movies, and hanging out with her little sister were the main three. She talked a little to Kyle and Ryan, who said that since it was the end of their senior year and such, Christina and them had decided to take a break from the band. The three of them had been jamming together for over two years, and would probably be going to separate colleges anyway, so the band might not last. That was sad to hear, but it was true. Ryan and Kyle wanted to find schools near California, while Chris had wanted to stay around New England (she'd decided that before meeting Tyler).

Like the previous couple weeks, she barely spoke Christina. She was still a little mad that her friend didn't want to tell her what she knew. The teachers were really piling on the workload with it being the last few weeks of school. But she did her best to stay on top of it... especially since it helped distract her from what she'd rather muse about.

Around four on Friday afternoon, her cell phone began vibrating on her nightstand. Flipping it open and pressing it to her ear, she said, "Hello?"

"Hey," Aaron replied on the other end. "What are you up to tonight?"

"Eh, nothing," Fayth shrugged. "Why?"

"Feel like going to Nicky's?"

She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, thinking. "Um."

"If Garwin's there or shows up, we can leave," he added.

"I don't know if I'm up for another party scene," Fayth said. She really didn't feel like having a run in with Reid. When she'd returned from the dance, she'd told herself that she'd get over him, and she intended on doing that. But seeing him possibly with another girl... the image of the kiss flashed through her mind, and she closed her eyes.

"Nicky decided to have a karaoke night tonight."

"Then definitely not," Fayth laughed.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you'd blow everyone else away."

"Nope."

He let out an annoyed sigh on the other end on the phone. "Please?"

After a minute, she said, "Under one condition."

"What?" Aaron asked slowly.

"You have to sing one song with me." Her lips curled into a smirk as she imagined his expression.

"Do I have to?" he whined.

"Yep. Or you can go by yourself."

"Fine," he grunted, and she laughed. "I'll pick you up at seven."

"Okay, see you then!" she said cheerfully before flipping her phone closed.

At five minutes to seven, there was a knock on the door and Fayth jumped up from the couch to answer it. "Bye mom! Bye dad! Be back later!" Aaron stood on the small porch and smiled when he saw her. "You ready to do a duet?"

He grimaced. "I'd hoped you'd forgotten about that."

"Haha, no way!" They pulled into the bar's parking lot twenty minutes later and jumped out. "Let's go make fools of ourselves!" she cheered.

"Actually, we'd only be making a fool out of me, since you can really sing," Aaron corrected, slinging his arm around her shoulders as they walked through the door. People were gathered, again, around a small stage, where the karaoke things were set up. Nicky was standing at one of the mics. Ten minutes later, he called for everyone's attention.

"Alright, people. Since having a band was such a big hit" – everyone cheered and clapped – "I decided to try something else. So have fun!" An hour later, people were having a blast. Everyone chose fun, upbeat songs, and the crowd jumped around and danced. The next hour brought about the Sons of Ipswich and three girlfriends.

Aaron tapped Fayth's shoulder. "Want to go?"  
With a brief hesitation, Fayth said, "No. I came to have fun and that's what I'm going to do. Now, let's sign up!" Forty five minutes later, she was dragging him to the stage to pick their song. "Okay, what kind of song?"

"A silent one?" Aaron joked.

"Haha. Why am I asking you? I'll choose."

"Hey!"

"That's what you get," she smirked before sticking her tongue out at him, and then returned her attention to the list of songs. "Hmm. Oh! Want to do 'Hurts So Good'?"

"Fine."

"Alright! Let's go!" Where she suddenly got this sudden urge to sing in front of a crowd, she didn't know. But she grabbed his hand dragged him onto the stage. People clapped, ready for another song. The music began, and Fayth smiled at him before stepping up to the mic. She waited for him to do the same. She smirked and mouthed, _you first_.

Shooting her a glare, he turned to the lyrics screen, breathed deeply, and began. The song ended with a huge roar of cheers and applause as they walked off the stage. But right before stepping down, Aaron grabbed her arm and dragged her back to the mic.

"Hey, guys. Want to hear her sing again?" The applause was almost deafening. Her jaw dropped as she stared at him, part of her wanting to kill him while the other part wanted to run. "Alright!" His smirk said that he'd been planning this. Oh, he would pay.

Glaring at him, Fayth walked past, suddenly aware that all eyes were on her. Damn him. After quietly telling him the song, he jumped down and programed it while she stepped back up to the mic. The music began, and she opened her mouth when it was time, ready to sing "I Wanna be Bad" by Willa Ford. Her eyes met a pair of beautiful blue ones, and a swarm of butterflies invaded her stomach. Damn him.

"I can't believe you did that!" Fayth hissed three hours later as they walked out into the parking lot.

Aaron chuckled. "That's what you get for making me sing."

* * * * * * *

Fayth spent the next day lounging around her house, every now and then thinking of ways of getting back at Aaron for making her sing alone on stage. One of which included dying his hair hot pink. Smirking to herself, she plopped down on the couch and began flipping through channels.

Around six that evening, Fayth was laying on her bed, flipping through a magazine. Her phone began vibrating on her nightstand, and with a quick glance at the caller ID, she flipped it open. "Hello."

"Hi, Fay."


	12. Chapter 12

Her heartbeat stuttered as her stomach did about ten somersaults. No. It wasn't possible.

"Fay? You there?" His voice pulsed through her with each word.

"Reid?" she asked, not completely believing that it was him.

"Yeah. Christina let me borrow her phone since, well, I don't have your number."

She swallowed and slowly sat up, the magazine sliding out of her grip. After licking her lips, she managed to make her voice say one thing. "Oh."

"Are you busy?" he asked.

"Um, not at the moment. Why?"

There was silence for a minute. "Do you mind coming over?"

"To your dorm?" She'd heard Chris say something about Reid and Tyler sharing a dorm room at Spencer.

His sigh sounded slightly amused. "No, I figured you could drive to the parking lot and then stand there."

She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm, her lips unwillingly lifting into a small smile. "Why?"

"I need to talk to you."

"You can't talk over the phone?"

"Will you just come over?"

After debating for a few seconds, she sighed and said, "Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"'Kay. Bye."

"Bye."

She flipped the phone closed and stared at her bedroom door. Did that really just happen? Twenty minutes later, she was pulling into the parking lot of Spencer Academy. The last time she'd been here had been at night when she'd broken into the school with Christina and gone for a swim in the school's pool. Reid and his friends had caught them, and then they'd almost been really busted by a security guard.

Spotting a space near the front of the school, she parked the truck and hopped out. What would Reid need to talk to her about? And what would be something that he couldn't say over the phone? Ugh. He was one of the most confusing boys ever!

She paused as her eyes landed on the front steps, where a blond boy was sitting. He wore what was apparently his style of choice: a baggy pair of jeans with a long sleeved shirt. His blue eyes found her, and she felt a flutter in her stomach. No! She was supposed to be getting over him! He stood as she drew closer and a small smile lifted his lips.

"Hey."

"Hey. What did you want to talk about?" Fayth asked.

He glanced around. "Let's go up to my dorm."

She frowned a little. "Why can't you just tell me here?"

He sighed. "Because it's something that other people can't know about."

"Ooh. I get the privilege of learning a secret about Reid Garwin?" The sarcastic comment just slipped out and she couldn't stop it.

His lips twitched. "Just come on." He turned and walked through the doors, apparently expecting her to follow. Sighing, she walked in behind him and quickened her pace to catch up.

"So who was your date to the dance?" Fayth asked, feeling the need to break the quiet.

"Just a girl I know. Jackie." He cast a glance her way. "Why?"

She shrugged. "Just wondered."

Less than five minutes later, they were standing outside the dorm door. Just as he reached for the knob, the door opened. Caleb and Pogue stood in the doorway, looking a little surprised as their eyes darted from the blond boy to Fayth and back again. Clearing his throat, Caleb spoke first. "Uh, Reid. What are you doing?"

"Being honest," Reid replied.

"Reid." Caleb's voice was firm, as though he were trying to send a silent message.

"I know Cal. But I have to do this."

"You can't throw the secret around," Pogue said. "Telling one person affects all of us." His eyes darted to her and narrowed slightly.

"You two have Sarah and Kate, and baby boy now has Christina. You three have someone outside the families who you can trust. I don't, or, didn't. I want that, too," Reid said. His voice was calm but low.

"We don't know if we can trust her yet," Pogue said.

"I do." He said it without hesitation, and for some reason, that made her feel happy. "Now let me do this."

After a moment, Caleb and Pogue walked down the hall and Fayth followed Reid into the dorm. Tyler was sitting on his bed and stood just before the door was shut. "I'm going to, uh, head out. Good luck, man," he added quietly before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

Silence fell over the two. To her surprise, Reid seemed a little more nervous. All that calm he had portrayed in front of his friends was gone, and now he looked... vulnerable. "What, um. What did you want to tell me?"

He motioned to a bed. "You should sit down."

Slowly, she obeyed. What was so important that his friends didn't want her to know, and that he thought she needed to be sitting to hear? He folded his arms, his fingers drumming on his arm as he stood before her. It looked like he was trying to collect his thoughts, so she stayed quiet. He opened his mouth and then closed it, and then opened it again. With a sigh, he sank onto the other bed and leaned his arms on his knees. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"You were right. You deserve to know the truth, and that's what I'm going to tell you."

"Why tell me now, when a couple weeks ago you got all pissed when I asked about it?"

"I've felt guilty for the past five years. I should have told you the truth years ago."

"So because of your guilt, you're going to tell me?" Fayth asked. When he nodded, she sighed. "Alright, let's hear it."

"In the middle of the seventeenth century, many people tried to escape the Witch Trials in England and France by coming to America. Five of those families fled not by fear of being accused, but by fear of being found out. Those five families shared a secret: they were witches. They were blessed and cursed with the Power. The families were Danvers, Parry, Sims, Garwin and Putnam." And then he launched into the history of the Covenant, and she listened in silence. "I didn't know how the Power would affect me, and I didn't want to accidentally hurt you. So, I decided it'd be better to push you away before my thirteenth birthday. I remember the look on your face the day we were in that tree, and I knew that even if I found a way to control the Power, I had damaged our friendship too much to repair it. So, I didn't even try."

She blinked, her mind still processing everything he'd said. She had thought of a hundred reasons as to why he had ended their friendship, but none of them came close to this explanation. Witches and magic? Did he really expect her to buy this? "You really expect me to believe that your a witch, and that's the reason we stopped being friends?"

His eyebrows pulled together slightly. "Yes. Because it's the truth."

She snorted. "Look, if you didn't want to tell me the real reason, then that's fine. But you didn't have to come up with some bullshit lie just to appease your conscious."

"It's not a lie," Reid insisted.

Her mind flashed back to the moment at Nicky's, where Reid's eyes had flamed over, and then to the day at the library where she'd found the book that listed the name Garwin as one of families in Massachusetts during the Witch Trials. But she forced those memories to the back of her mind. Those were just stupid coincidents. He could have easily found the same book and spun the lie into the history available at the library. And as for that time at Nicky's, well, it had been a trick of the light. Nothing more. She stood. "Well, thanks. Now I can sleep at night knowing that witchcraft is the reason we're not friends anymore."

"This isn't a joke. You wanted the truth and I gave it to you."

"And why did you suddenly want to tell me now? When you've had five years to be honest?"

"I didn't want you to freak out," Reid said, standing as well and looking down at her.

"Why would a lie freak me out?"

"It's not a lie!"

"Oh yeah? Well if you're really a witch, then prove it!"

"Fine!" His eyes flamed over, turning completely onyx. The beds in the room shook before lifting into the air, while books were pulled from the bookshelves and spun around the room.

Sucking in air, Fayth glanced around. This was not what she'd been expecting. Her eyes looked back at Reid, and she stepped back, suddenly unsure. The boy before her looked like Reid, except for the black eyes, which watched her intently. The beds and books returned to their original places, and the black bled from his eyes, revealing the beautiful blue that she'd grown up with.

"Believe me now?" he asked.

Unable to make her voice work, she breathed in and ran for the door, slamming it behind her. And then she ran down the hall and down the stairs toward the parking lot. Tyler, Caleb and Pogue were standing on the front steps and turned as the doors banged open for her. Ignoring them, she bolted toward her truck, the image of Reid and his pure black eyes stuck in her mind. She jumped into the truck and gunned the engine before banching out of the parking lot. She refused to even think about what he'd told her until she was safely in her room.

Closing the bedroom door, she finally let a sob shake her as she fell onto her bed and curled into a ball. Why was she crying? She'd gotten what she'd wanted. Reid had been completely honest with her. He'd decided that she was trust worthy enough to know his secret. And what had she done? Run away like a scared little girl. There was no denying that what she'd seen this time was a trick of the light.

* * * * * * *

Sunlight warmed her face, gently pulling her out of the dream world. After a good long shower, Fayth pulled on a large tee shirt and comfy pants and then spread out on her bed. Her thoughts floated back to her conversation with Reid. He was a witch, a real witch with powers and everything. And she had freaked and ran out on him, after he'd told his friends she was trustworthy. Great job, Fayth. Great job.


	13. Chapter 13

_A/N: hey everyone! Sorry this chapter is so short. I just wanted to get this part out, deciding that it was important._

Reid sank back down on his bed after the dorm door slammed behind her and stared at the floor. He couldn't help but think that this time, things between them could really never be mended. It was just like he had feared: she was afraid of him. And really, who wouldn't be, other than the families? Sure, Sarah and Kate had accepted it, and so had Christina after a couple days. But not every girl was like that. Those three were different. Sarah and Kate were thrown into the middle of a fight and quickly learned that the Covenant members weren't evil. Christina had already had some idea from history books and had simply received confirmation. But Fayth.... Her words had stung him, and he'd let his anger take hold, pushing him to display his Power like he did. He'd freaked her out, and there was no going back.

The dorm door opened and Tyler walked in, followed by Caleb and Pogue. Reid inwardly groaned, knowing a lecture would soon be coming his way. Tyler dropped onto his own bed while the other two leaned against the wall.

Silence fell between them.

"I know I screwed up," Reid said, finally breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked, looking up.

Reid gave a little shrug. "I told someone our secret and she ran off. And now we have to worry about exposure."

"You thought you could trust her," Caleb said.

"Apparently I was wrong."

"You don't know that," Tyler tried. "Although she did look a little freaked." At Reid's questioning look, he elaborated. "We were on the front steps when she ran out."

"I thought she could handle it, you know? She always seemed strong, even growing up. And after listening to Christina talk about her, I just...." He exhaled and ran a hand through his hair, a habit he'd picked up from the eldest Son. "I wanted her to be the one I could trust with this secret. I wanted her to be my connection to something outside the Covenant. But clearly that's not going to happen," he added bitterly. He looked at Caleb. "You were right. I shouldn't have told her."

"I didn't want to be right," Caleb said quietly, giving the blond boy an apologetic look.

"Doesn't matter." Reid headed for the door, suddenly feeling a need for a distraction.

"Where are you going?" Tyler asked.

"To get laid," he answered before closing the door behind him. Maybe Jackie could distract him for a few hours. He'd really thought that Fayth would be able to handle his secret, but he'd been wrong. Just as he'd feared, he'd scared her. Something in his chest constricted as he realized that he might have truly lost her for ever.


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: hey everyone! Sorry for the late update, I couldn't decide how I wanted to continue the story. Oh, and I also realized a mistake I made: Christina is supposed to be a brunette not a blond. I got a little mixed up because of my Embrace the Magick story, so I'm really sorry about that! But yes, Christina is a brunette._

Wednesday afternoon Fayth pulled into her driveway after school and cut the engine. She hurried up to her room and closed the door before falling onto her bed. It had been four days since she'd learned Reid's secret. She'd spent a lot of time avoiding Christina in school, not wanting to discuss what had happened, seeing as how Tyler had probably told her everything. But one thing slowly ate at her conscious.

He had trusted her. Reid had trusted her and she'd let him down. And she was still scared. She was scared because he had so easily proven his story. She was afraid because some part of her still wanted him. Some part of her knew he wouldn't hurt her, and that same part kept telling her to go talk to him; accept him back into her life. And she didn't know if she could do that, because another part of her hated him for not telling her sooner and for just pushing her away. Why did things have to be so complicated?

Her bedroom door opened and Christina walked in, closing it behind her. So much for avoiding the brunette girl. Silence fell between them, with Fayth on her bed and Christina leaning against the wall. She should have known this would come.

"So," Chris said, breaking the silence. "You know, huh?"

"Yeah,"Fayth answered, sitting up. "No thanks to you." She was also still mad that Chris had refused to tell her.

"I told you, it wasn't my secret to tell," Chris said defensively.

"So you thought you'd wait until Reid decided? What, were you trying to hook us up again?" Fayth snapped.

"I was just trying to help that time!"

"I didn't ask for help!"

"Just go talk to Reid."

"No."

"Stop being so damn stubborn!" Chris hissed.

"I'm not being stubborn," Fayth huffed.

"Oh yes you are."

"I'm scared, okay?" Fayth admitted.

"Of what?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Maybe you missed the part that when they use their powers, their eyes turn pitch black!"

"So? It's not like they're evil or anything," Chris said. "They can just do things normal people can't. They wouldn't use their powers to hurt others."

"And you believe that?" She hadn't meant to say that, but her mouth didn't always wait for her mind.

Christina looked a little shocked. "How can you even say that?" When Fayth shrugged, the girl let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, I believe that. And I can't believe you don't. You grew up with one of them. You know Reid."

Fayth frowned, not liking that her friend had flipped the conversation the way she had. "That's not the point."

"Yes it is," Chris said. "As far as I'm concerned, you know Reid better than anyone, which means you know he would never hurt you intentionally."

Although part of her felt like Chris was right, she refused to admit it. "If you came here to lecture me about what happened between me and Reid, then you can just forget it and leave."

Chris frowned. "At least he's trying." With that, she turned and left, shutting the door a little too hard.

Groaning, Fayth laid back and glared at the ceiling. As much as she hated to admit it, deep down she knew Chris was right. Why did that girl have to make sense?

The next couple days went by awkwardly. Fayth and Christina didn't speak at all, and barely acknowledged each other at school. When Friday afternoon came around, Fayth picked her sister up from school and they headed for the theater. She'd agreed to take Haley to a movie the night before, knowing she was unlikely to have plans. Besides, their parents kept pestering her about spending quality time with the young girl. Two hours later they walked into the small ice cream shop in town.

"I want one scoop of every flavor!" Haley said excitedly as they stepped into the small line.

"Hales you can't eat that much," Fayth chuckled.

"Yes I can."

"How about three scoops," she said, smiling at her sister. She crossed her arms and pouted. "We don't need you getting sick in my truck, 'kay?"

"Okay," she said grudgingly.

"Look who I've found."

Fayth turned and felt her smile increase. "Hey."

Aaron smiled back. "Hey. Who's this?"

"My sister, Haley. Hales, this is Aaron," Fayth said.

Haley smiled up at him. "Hi."

The lade behind the counter called for the next people and they moved up.

"Hi. So what are you two getting?"

"Can I get a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of orange sherbet and a scoop of chocolate?" Haley asked. The woman nodded and moved to get the order.

"You have the weirdest taste, Hales," Fayth joked. She stuck her tongue out at her, making her laugh. The woman handed a bowl to her and she stepped to the side so she'd have room to order. "Can I have a strawberry lemonade smoothie?" The woman nodded and moved to get her order. A few minutes later she handed her the cup.

"Is that all?"

"Yes thank you."

"Ten forty three," she said.

Aaron gently pushed her out of the way and handed the woman a twenty. "My treat."

Fayth shook her head, but took a sip of the smoothie. Yum. "You didn't have to do that."

Aaron shrugged. "Whatever. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Feel like going to Nicky's?"

"Uh, not really. I mean, I've been there so much, and it's all the same," she said, feeling a little bad about lying. The truth was she didn't want to run into Reid or Christina.

"Well, we can go somewhere Reid probably won't be."

Damn, he knew her real reason. "Um."

"Come on. A movie or something."

she pretended to consider his offer, although a movie with him sounded like a lot of fun. He was a good looking guy and a lot of fun to be around. "Fine."

He smiled. "Great."

The next night, Fayth was walking down the stairs just as the door bell rang. She hurried down the remaining steps and got to the door just as her father did. "Bye dad!"

"Uh-huh. Be careful."

She smiled and gave him a quick hug. "Always." Twenty minutes later, they were walking into the theater. "Hangover, right?"

"Yeah. I hear it's hilarious," Aaron said, slinging his arm over her shoulders. "By the way, you look great."

Fayth smiled and glanced down at her dark cargo pants and somewhat tight black tank top. "Thanks."

After the movie, they decided to drive around a little and just talk. There was barely silence in the car as they continued to think of things to talk about. It was like the texting conversations they'd had when they'd first met. Around eleven, they pulled into the driveway and Aaron cut the engine.

"Well, thanks. I had a lot of fun," Fayth said, slowly unbuckling and smiling at him.

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for agreeing to hang out," Aaron said, resting his elbow on the back of his seat so he could face her.

His eyes locked with hers, and she knew what he wanted. Did she want to? He was extremely cute, almost sexy. He could fool and joke around with her easily, and she was comfortable with him. He leaned forward, and her heartbeat increased. He paused a couple inches from her lips, waiting. A moment later, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. His tongue grazed her bottom lip and she gave him entry as his hand found the back of her neck and pulled her closer. Their tongues danced in a slow, sweet kiss. But slow and sweet wasn't what she wanted, and her thoughts turned to the one person who she believed could give her the fiery passion she wanted for feel. Damn him.


	15. Chapter 15

The next morning, Fayth climbed out of her bed around eleven and took a long, hot shower in an attempt to wake up. She'd tossed and turned all night, waking up every few hours due to dreams of her and the stupid blond prick. Some dreams were memories, while others were what some would label fantasies. She, however, called them the result of the make out session with Aaron the night before and her stupid feelings for Reid combining to torture her. When the water began to cool, she shut it off and wrapped a towel around her hair and another around her body. Deciding to just relax at home for the day, she slipped into comfy clothes and plodded down the stairs, already debating on what movies to watch.

Another week passed, much like the previous. Fayth and Christina avoided each other and didn't speak. Poor Kyle and Ryan had no clue what was going on, but probably didn't have the nerves to bring up the obvious fight going on between the two girls. Fayth also made a point to go out with Aaron almost every night, telling herself that he was a great guy and she should be happy he's into her. But some stupid little voice constantly reminded her that she was mainly doing it to convince herself that Aaron would be much better than Reid, although it would never be true. And whenever the voice whispered in her mind, she'd tell it to shut up.

Friday night came again, and around one in the morning, Fayth found herself in Aaron's car's passenger's seat, his hands tangled in her hair and his shirt half unbuttoned. Her hands were slowly trailing up his muscular stomach as her lips moved against his. Her back was pressed against the seat back, which Aaron had skillfully lowered while never breaking their kiss. His legs straddled her hips somewhat awkwardly due to the cramped space. His hands left her hair and he set one on the seat back to support himself, while the other trailed down her side and over to her cargo pants' zipper. His fingers undid the button and tugged the zipper down.

Her mind, which seemed to have been off in la-la land for the past half hour, snapped her back into reality. She grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop and broke the kiss. He pulled back and gave her a small, questioning look. "Aaron, we can't," she said between breaths.

His lips pressed together in a thin line and he pulled himself into the driver's seat. "You know, this whole tease thing is getting old."

Fayth frowned. "What tease thing?"

"This!" Aaron said, gesturing around the car and to their disheveled clothes. "Going out and then things heating up like this, and then you stopping it."

"I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready to go that far, especially not in my driveway," Fayth said, trying hard to keep the spark of anger she was feeling out of her voice. True, they'd been having hot make out sessions like this the past week and she'd always stopped things before they went too far.

"You mean you're not ready to go that far with me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play that." He looked at her, anger flashing in his eyes. "I'm not stupid. The only guy you want to screw is Garwin, and you know it."

"That's bullshit!" Fayth snapped as her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"I see the way you look at him, remember?" Aaron said angrily. "You say he's an ass and he's worthless and all that shit, but you always look at him with longing."

"I do not!"

Aaron stuffed the key into the ignition and turned it, and the engine roared to life. "Look, I like fooling around as much as the next guy. But with you and me, it feels like I'm always second in your mind, and I'm sick of it."

"Aaron –"

"You need to choose. Me or him." He watched her expectantly, waiting for the answer she couldn't give. When she didn't reply, his lips pressed into an even thinner line. "When you've finally taken your sweet time to decide, let me know. But I'm not going to wait around forever." He turned back to face the windshield.

Taking that as her cue, Fayth opened her door and shut it. The car raced out of her driveway, and she watched the tail lights disappear into the night. Letting out a line of quiet curses, she unlocked the door and walked into the house. After locking up and making her way up to her room, she closed the door and sank onto her bed, glaring at the floor.

She knew Aaron was right. She'd first started talking to him and hanging out with him because she knew Reid hated it. And although she liked him, she couldn't see Aaron as anything more than a friend. And teasing him like she did wasn't fair to him. But she didn't want to admit that she thought of Reid. That would mean that she cared. Yes, he had trusted her. But she'd spent the past week building up a wall in an attempt to convince herself that Aaron could fill any possible desires she felt for the blond. And he'd just shattered that wall.

Guys sucked.

Saturday morning, Fayth woke up unusually early. Rolling over, she looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:21A.M. Groaning, she sat up and stretched, annoyed that her body felt wide awake and restless, and then made her way to the bathroom. Her mind replayed the scene from the car again and again. Why did it seem that everyone could pinpoint her feelings except for her? Wincing slightly as she yanked the brush through her hair a little too forcefully, she decided that what she really needed was some alone time.

Twenty minutes later, she was backing her car out of the driveway after quickly dressing in comfy pants and a tank top and leaving a note for her parents. Her mind zoned out as trees flew past the windows. The car seemed to know where to go, and ten minutes later she had parked the car in a small pull off on the side of the road. She sat in the car for a few minutes before climbing out and starting down the somewhat overgrown path leading away from the road toward a long clump of trees. The path led to a clearing on top of a cliff that overlooked the little town. This area had been a many-time hang out spot for her and Reid when they were kids.

She'd come here when she was stressed or annoyed, and found that the peacefulness of the place calmed her. Reid had even taken to coming here when he was upset, and she'd find him sitting on the edge of the cliff, his legs hanging over the side. It always scared her, seeing him so close that he could easily fall. She'd found him up here when his dog had died when they were around ten.

A soft gust of wind swept around her, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked over at the edge of the cliff and almost tripped on a large rock. A boy about her age was sitting on the edge, his legs hanging over the side of the cliff, his blond hair shinning in the early morning sunlight.


	16. Chapter 16

Fayth bit her bottom lip. All she wanted was to be alone, and she just had to come to the spot where he just had to be. Was there some higher power that decided to make her life that much harder? Slowly, she stepped back, careful to avoid the large rock she'd nearly tripped over a few minutes before. But as she turned to return to the trees, her foot caught on something and she tumbled to the ground, letting out a surprised squeal. Small stones dug into her palms as she landed and the air was shoved from her lungs.

"Fay?"

Ah, shit. Pushing herself up onto her knees, she looked over her shoulder at the blond boy. "Um, hi Reid."

"What are you doing here?" he asked, pulling himself up to stand and frowning.

"Oh, I just thought it'd be fun to come and fall flat on my face by the cliff," Fayth said, standing as well and brushing herself off.

His lips twitched, but he just folded his arms and shrugged. "I have to go."

He walked past her toward the path she'd just left, and as he drew nearer her heartbeat sped up. She stared at the spot he'd been sitting in for a moment before spinning around. "I'm sorry I ran off like that." Why the hell was she apologizing?

Reid paused just under the tree branches. His head turned slightly in her direction and shrugged. "Whatever."

"I just... it was a shock, you know? Not something I was expecting to hear about, let alone actually see."

"I get it." His voice was even and almost uncaring. Almost. There was the faintest trace of anger lacing his words.

"You can't be mad at me," Fayth insisted. "You didn't exactly ease me into the idea."

Reid turned, his eyes narrowed the tiniest bit. "I tried telling you. You're just too stubborn to listen."

"Stubborn?" Fayth repeated, feeling her temper begin to rise. "Well excuse me for not realizing sooner that there are witches walking around! Oh, I'm sorry, I mean flying around. You do fly, right?"

"Fly?"

"Yeah. Isn't that what witches do? Fly around and cackle and shit?" Okay, maybe she was being a little too stereotypical.

"Oh, yes. That's exactly what we do," he sneered. "We also go around turning people into toads and killing those who piss us off."

Fayth looked away, knowing she'd gone a little too far.

"You know, I thought you'd be able to handle this secret."

"So that's why you decided to stop being my friend, and then tell me about it five years later?" she snapped, letting her eyes meet his.

"Dammit, will you let that go?"

"No!"

"Why not!"

"Because you hurt me!" Fayth shouted angrily. "What you don't seem to get is that you're not the only one who was affected by your stupid decision! You didn't just run away to keep some secret from me. You ran away and left a twelve year old girl in a tree wondering what the hell she'd done to piss you off enough to make you do that!"

"You didn't do anything."

"I didn't know that at the time." Damn, why did her eyes have to start tearing up? Shaking her head, she cast her gaze out over the cliff. "All I knew was that when you said we weren't friends anymore, something in my chest began to hurt. And I've lived with that pain ever since." She added the last part quietly. From the corner of her eye, she saw him move toward her, but she stepped away, refusing to look at him.

After a minute of silence, Reid turned and left, his body being engulfed by the woods.

Fayth blinked rapidly and began a slow walk along the edge of the cliff. She sucked in air and sank to the ground, the well-known ache in her chest making itself known. She'd told him what he'd really done to her, and he'd left. Yes, she'd made it look like she didn't want him near her. But that had been a lie. She'd wanted him to come to her regardless and wrap her in his arms and never let go. A tear slid down her cheek, and she let it. She pulled her legs into her, rested her arms on her knees, buried her face in the little gap and let a long line of sobs take her. Why did she have to love him?

* * * * * * *

The next day, Fayth lay in her room thinking. Why couldn't she like Aaron? He was funny, sweet, fun, and extremely good looking. Sure, Reid had been all those things when they were younger, and yes, he was still good looking now. But until a few weeks ago, she hadn't spoken to him in years. But something inside her didn't seem to care how much time had passed. She let out an annoyed sigh buried her face in her pillow, and screamed out her frustration.

* * * * * * *

The next few days at school were just as awkward as the past few weeks. She and Christina didn't speak, and barely shared glances. It was strange. Being friends with someone for so long, and then going weeks without speaking, not counting the occasional argument. But one thing that made this week seem worse than the others was the she couldn't talk to Aaron. She'd tried texting him a couple times, but he'd just respond with "Have you decided?" That ended any possible conversation, because no, she hadn't chosen. She wanted to choose Aaron, she really did. But whenever she thought of that, her chest would constrict painfully at the thought of being with someone who wasn't Reid. Damn her life. And damn it that Aaron had been right.

By the time Friday afternoon came around, she had made up her mind. After school, Fayth shut herself in her room and scrolled through her contacts in her cell phone. After hitting CALL, she pressed the phone to her ear and waited. Just because she couldn't seem to have a happy relationship didn't mean he should be miserable too.

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

He breathed in. "You decided, then?"

"Yeah. You're a great guy, and I mean that. But it's not fair for me to use you like I've been doing." When he didn't say anything, she went on. "You were right. For some screwed up reason, I like Reid. I'm sorry for leading you on like I did."

Silence again, and then he sighed. "Guess I should have expected it. I mean, the only real reason we started talking and hanging was because we wanted to piss Garwin off."

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Me too. But hey, I can't do anything about it."

"Can we be just friends?" Fayth asked, biting her bottom lip.

"Yeah, I guess. Just remember that I'm a guy, and I'll probably be picturing you naked whenever we hang out," Aaron joked.

Fayth laughed. "Fine. Just keep your dirty thoughts to yourself."

"No guarantees. I'm a guy," he chuckled.

Shaking her head and smiling, she laid back on her bed, glad to have his friendship back. An hour later, she and Aaron said their goodbyes and she flipped her phone shut and set it on the nightstand. Her mother had called up a few minutes earlier to let her know that dinner was ready. She slid off the bed and headed down to eat.

After eating, she returned to her room and flopped down on her bed on her stomach, grabbing a random magazine from the floor and opening it. Her cell phone vibrated on the small nightstand by her bed. Rolling over, she grabbed it, glanced at the caller ID and let out an annoyed sigh before flipping it open and putting it to her ear. "What?"

"Have you seen Reid?" Christina asked, sounding a little panicked.

Fayth frowned. "Why would I see that ass?" People were talking in the background, but it was hard to distinguish what was being said.

Chris sighed. "I don't know. I just... we haven't seen him for a few hours. He took off right after...." she trailed off.

Fayth frowned and slowly sat up. "Right after what?"

"He was really upset and just took off," Chris added.

"What happened?" Fayth asked. It felt like snakes were slithering around in her stomach as she waited for her friend to answer.

"Reid's dad died."


	17. Chapter 17

Her eyes closed and she licked her lips. Mr. Garwin had always seemed like a great man. Sure, he had looked a little old when they were growing up, but she'd just thought that was it. He was older than Mrs. Garwin. That was until Reid had informed her of the Power and the Covenant. Now she knew that his aging was the result of using.

"How'd he die?"

"He willed Reid his Power."

Reid had told her that after Ascending, if they willed their Power away, they'd die. She licked her lips. "Why?"

"We don't know. I mean, he did seem like the aging was getting to him."

That was somewhat understandable, she guessed. Watching your body age while you remained young must be torturous, and painful.

"Can you come over to Reid's house?"

"Uh, what?"

"Please. Just come over," Chris begged. The voices in the background sounded a little angrier.

"Why?"

"So we can brainstorm possible places he might be. Please."

Fayth clenched her teeth and breathed in deeply before responding. "Fine." Twenty minutes later, she was pulling the truck down the long driveway to Garwin Manor. After killing the engine, she slowly climbed out and walked toward the front door. What the hell was she doing?

The door opened and Christina stood before her, her face and eyes tense in worry. She stepped aside, and Fayth silently walked past her into the manor. The door clicked shut behind her, and she looked back at the brunette. Voices floated out to them from the living room, and she followed the girl into the room, where Caleb, Pogue, Tyler, and the blond and dark haired girls that were always with the group were either standing or sitting. These three boys were the other witches Reid had told her about. Conversation stopped when they caught sight of her.

"Look who showed up," Pogue said stiffly, crossing his arms.

Fayth frowned, but Chris spoke first. "Chill, Pogue."

"Why did you call her?" Caleb asked angrily. "If we can't find him, then there's no way she'll be able to."

"You don't know that," Christina argued. Pogue snorted, and she glared at him. "What?"

"Why would you think she could help?" Pogue asked.

"What makes you think I can't?" Fayth snapped. Honestly, she didn't know if she could. But the fact that they seemed so set on her not being able to pissed her off.

"Because I doubt you really want to," Pogue said, glaring at her. "I bet you're happy he's gone missing."

"Why the hell would you say that?"

"Because you're scared shitless of us," he stated. "Why else would you have run out of the dorm like a bat out of hell?"

"I am not!" Okay, that might be a slight lie.

As if reading her thoughts, Pogue sneered and walked toward her as his eyes bled to onyx. She sucked in air and felt her foot move back a step, but stopped herself and set her jaw. Her hand moved quickly, and the sound seemed to echo around the silent room. Pogue blinked in surprise and stepped back, tenderly touching his cheek, where a faint red hand print was quickly forming. "Don't you dare try to fucking intimidate me," Fayth snarled.

The long haired boy opened his mouth, but Tyler cut him off. "Will you two knock it off? This isn't helping!"

"We've tried looking everywhere we could think of, but we haven't had any luck. Do you have any idea where he might be?" Christina asked quickly, stepping slightly between the two.

"Where have you looked?" Fayth asked, her eyes still glaring at Pogue. Christina began to list off the places they'd checked, and she mentally crossed off each, knowing he would be somewhere he believed they wouldn't be able to find him. He was upset and probably wanted to be alone. Her mind instantly went to one place. The others wouldn't have known to look there because they didn't know about it. She turned and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Chris asked.

"To get dipshit," Fayth replied.

"Hold up, you know where he is?" Tyler asked, surprised.

Sighing, Fayth turned back to them. "As hard as it must be to believe, yes, I think I know where he is."

"We're going with you."

She looked at the oldest boy. "Why?"

"Because he's our brother, and we have a better understanding of what he's going through."

"Is that so?" When Caleb gave her a stern nod, she let out a long breath of air. "Fine. Let's go."

Twenty minutes later, she was pulling the truck off the road into a dirt pull-off and killing the engine. Her eyes were focused on the field before her, and it felt like snakes and butterflies were fighting within her stomach. What the hell was she doing? So what if he had run off? Anyone would if one of their parents died. They hadn't had a decent conversation in over five years, and now here she was, sitting in her truck about to go see if he was okay. What was wrong with her?

You care about him.

The thought drifted through her mind and she sighed. She did care about him. As much as she hated to admit it, her feelings for him were still strong. She never liked seeing him upset, and now was no different. The sound of car doors slamming shut pulled her from her thoughts, and she climbed out of the truck.

"Great. A field," Pogue said, annoyed, as he looked around.

Rolling her eyes, Fayth walked past them and started down the path she'd grown up walking. She could hear them following, but didn't look back. Why did Chris have so much faith in her ability to find him? "_As far as I'm concerned, you know him better than anyone...._" Christina's words echoed in her mind. Was that true? Before she knew it, she was walking through the trees, and a few minutes later, she emerged by the cliff. The sun was sinking below the mountains, setting the darkening sky on fire. Her eyes scanned the area and she felt a tinge of disappointment. He wasn't here. And then her eyes landed on a figure a little ways away, hovering in the air just off the cliff's edge, his blond hair shining and contrasting with his dark clothes. Wow, he really could fly....

"Well, damn," someone mumbled. The three boys walked past her toward their "brother".

"Reid," Caleb said, leading the way.

It felt like the air shifted, and the temperature dropped a bit. The blond boy didn't move or look around. "How'd you find me?"

"Apparently Fayth knows you better than we thought," Pogue answered.

"Fayth?" Reid repeated with a slight sneer, as though he didn't believe them.

"Hey, Reid," Fayth said, making herself known.

Reid's head turned the slightest bit in her direction. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to help find you."

"Why?"

"Reid, get back on the cliff," Caleb said sternly before she could respond.

"No."

"Stop using and come over here so we can talk!"

"Fuck off."

Fayth's lips twitched. Apparently he hadn't changed a whole lot. When he was younger, when someone told him to do something or ordered him around, he'd refuse. Now was no different. Caleb was ordering him and he naturally disobeyed. If he really was the same as the boy she'd known, the only way to get through to him would be to not talk down to him, but ease their way past his barriers. Growing up, she'd been the only one who could do that. If Chris was right, maybe she was the only one who still could. Only one way to find out. "Reid."

"Stay out of this," the blond boy snapped.

Unfortunately, like Reid, if someone snapped at _her_, she'd snap back. "No, you prick."

"You don't need to be here anymore. You brought them, now you can leave."

"I don't have to leave."

"Reid, will you please just come over here?" Tyler asked. "Talk to us."

"I don't want to talk, baby boy," Reid growled. That was probably true, he'd never been one to talk about his feelings, Fayth thought.

"Please stop using," the blond girl pleaded.

"I like using," Reid said. "It feels good to use."

So that was it. He'd told her about how using was extremely seductive because it was similar to being really high. And now he was using to block the emotional pain of his fathers death. Fayth groaned quietly and closed her eyes for a moment as realization hit.

"You have to stop! Don't you care what happens if you get addicted?" Tyler said heatedly.

"I'm done caring," Reid said, folding his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pogue asked, frowning.

"It means I'm done caring. All caring does is lead to pain. I'm sick of getting hurt, and the only way to stop that is to stop caring."

Fayth glanced around, thinking fast. His fathers death was really getting to him. Sometimes the best way to get through to someone was to prove them wrong. No one could just stop caring. "Then I'm done too." Everyone turned to look at her, including Reid. "If you're not going to care, then neither am I." She strolled to the edge of the cliff and peered down. It had to be a thirty foot drop, at least.

"What are you talking about?"

She let her eyes meet his. "You're right. All caring does is lead to pain. I learned that the hard way. I fell in love with you, and then you took off, and I've spent the last five years trying to stop caring about you. Trying to stop this fucking ache in my chest. But every time I get it numbed down, something happens that makes it blaze to life again. I guess there's only one way to really make it stop." Everyone looked confused, especially Reid. She spread her arms. "I'm done caring." And then she let herself fall backwards off the cliff.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: hehe i know, i'm evil. i just wanted to give you guys a little teaser. Enjoy!**

Panicked shouts and screams followed her over the edge before the sounds were whipped away as the wind howled around her. Her hair flew around her head and she felt the first twinge of panic grasp her. She was free falling from a thirty foot cliff. She had jumped from a thirty foot cliff, all because she wanted to prove the stupid blond boy wrong. What the hell had she been thinking! Rolling over in the air, her eyes grew wide as she watched the hard ground rush up to meet her. She sucked in air, but the scream caught in her throat. As the ground grew closer, she began imagining what it would feel like to smash into the hard surface; to feel every bone in her body break. Ten feet. How much pain would she feel, and for how long? Five feet. Four. Three. Two. One.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: okay, here's the next chapter. I was going to make you all wait another day or two, you know, just to increase the suspense. but, I decided to put this out a little sooner for Brokenwriter as a little happy birthday present :) **

Hands grabbed her waist and her nose brushed against the cold, dirt covered ground before she collapsed. Gasping, she pushed herself up onto her knees, taking in short, shaky breaths. She had almost died. She had almost smashed her head into the hard, cold earth and would have become a pathetic broken body. It took her a few moments to realize that there was someone sitting next to her.

"What the fuck was that!" Reid shouted.

"I... I...." She couldn't think.

"Why the fuck would you jump off a cliff? When the hell did you become suicidal?" By now he was standing and yanking her up by her arms. She stumbled a little, her legs shaking, but he steadied her. "What were you thinking? You could have died! You almost died!"

"Reid, shut up," Fayth said, noting the hoarseness of her voice.

He snapped his mouth closed immediately, but then frowned as though realizing what he'd just done. "Why should I shut up?"

"Because I almost just died, and the shock is still sinking in," she answered faintly, pressing her hand over her heart. The rapid _thump, thump_ beat into her palm, reminding her that yes, she wasn't dead and this wasn't a dream.

"That's because you threw yourself off a cliff!" Reid exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air. "You're fucking insane! I thought I wasn't going to reach you in time, and-"

"I thought you didn't care?" Fayth asked, cutting him off. Oh yeah, there was a reason she'd jumped.

"I– what?"

"I thought you'd stopped caring," she clarified, standing up straighter and looking him in the eyes. Her breathing was evening out, and her voice wasn't shaking anymore. The need to make her point pushed past the panic she'd felt.

His arms dropped to his sides. "You tricked me." A look of incredulity spread across his handsome face. "You dove off a thirty foot high cliff just to fuck with me?"

"No." She folded her arms and raised her chin slightly. "I dove off a thirty foot high cliff to prove that you still care, even if you don't want to. Just because your father died doesn't mean you need to stop caring." For the first time in a long time, she saw a glimpse of real pain flash through his beautiful blue eyes. He blinked and looked away, his arms limp at his side. Her foot slid forward tentatively, and when he didn't move, she swallowed and walked to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. His body stiffened, and she turned her head into his neck and whispered, "You don't need to have a protective shield up all the time. You're not alone."

He inhaled shakily, and his arms slowly snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, and she felt him squeeze his eyes shut tight as warm drops trickled down her skin. His body shook as the first sob took him, followed by another. She stood there silently,letting him lean on her, holding him close as he released his pain. A tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek.

When his body's shaking began to slowly subside, she gently rubbed his back. Her neck felt warm and moist from his tears. She moved to pull back, but his arms tightened around her. "Don't," he croaked.

So she didn't. She stood there with him in silence for another moment before turning her head into the crook of his own neck and closing her eyes. The hurt and anger she'd felt toward him the past five years seemed to have melted almost completely away with his tears. Now she just wanted to stand like that forever, in his embrace. The minutes ticked by, and still they stood in silence. But when he pulled away, she let him.

His eyes were bloodshot and swollen, and he wiped at the dried tear stains on his face. He sniffed and briefly met her gaze before turning his eyes to the ground. "Thanks."

"For what?" she asked softly, watching him shift his feet uncomfortably.

"For getting through to me," he answered quietly. "Even though you almost killed yourself."

"You're one of the most thick-headed people I know, so I knew that the only way to get through to you was to do something drastic." He looked at her and she gave him a small smile.

The corners of his mouth pulled up. "Guess everyone was right. You and I are the only ones who can really get through to each other."

She gave a little laugh and glanced away. "Guess so." Looking up, she sighed. "We'd better get back to the others. They're probably freaking out." He held out his hand, and she looked at it, unsure.

"Do you trust me?"

_"Reid, I can't do this," she admitted, her little eight-year-old body trembling as she looked down at the ground from her high branch. She clung to the wood, too scared to move. _

_"Come on, Fay. It's easy," the blond boy said, effortlessly swinging himself from one branch to another. "See?"_

_"I can't. I want mom," she whined. _

_"Fay." He climbed up next to her and held out his hand. "I won't let you fall. I promise." When she didn't move, he inched closer to her. "Do you trust me?"_

_Her eyes met his, and she slowly slipped her hand into his. "Yes."_

"Fay?" Reid asked, pulling her from her back from the memory. That had been the first time they'd climbed a tree together, and the last time she'd been afraid of heights. "Do you trust me?" His eyes bled to onyx as he held his hand out to her patiently.

This was Reid. The boy she'd grown up with. The boy she loved. He would never intentionally hurt her. Taking a deep breath, she slipped her hand into his. "Yes." When their feet left the ground, she gasped in surprise. But Reid simply chuckled and pulled her to him as they continued to float up. Within seconds, their feet touched the ground again. "You really can fly, huh?" Fayth asked, trying to joke off her surprise.

Reid smirked. "I can do a lot more than that."

"Oh my god, you're okay!"

The wind was knocked from her lungs as something slammed into her, wrapping her in a tight embrace. Blinking and sucking in air, Fayth realized that the thing squeezing her to death was Christina. "Chris... too tight... can't breath...." Fayth stammered.

"Oh, sorry!"

The pressure stopped immediately, and she gratefully inhaled deeply. Looking around, she noticed everyone standing nearby. The boys and two girls were with Reid, all talking at once to him. He shrugged and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie. He cast a sneaking glance her way, and everyone else's eyes followed. Fayth licked her lips and glanced at Chris, who smiled widely at her.

"Knew you could do it," she whispered.

"I, um... I have to go," Fayth mumbled, stepping back. "Mom and Dad'll be wondering where I am." The small smile on Reid's face faltered. All she wanted to do was wrap her arms around his neck again and hold him. But she couldn't. Her mind was warring with what her heart wanted, and she suddenly needed to be alone. "I'll, uh, see you guys later." Turning, she quickly walked to the path, too afraid of looking back and seeing their faces. Too afraid of letting them see the water building in her eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

As soon as she was in the cover of the trees, she broke into a run. The tears pressed against her will, threatening to spill over. Why was she crying? Reid was fine and with his brothers and she hadn't died, which was a huge bonus. So why was the familiar ache in her chest growing? Her vision blurred and she blinked rapidly, trying to relieve the water in her eyes. Her foot caught on a protruding root and she stumbled before landing hard on the ground. Her palms stung as the skin ripped open and she hissed before swearing.

"Fayth!" Christina's voice echoed through the darkening woods, sounding really close.

Shit. Pushing herself up, she began running again, her eyes flitting between the ground and the path head, making sure she didn't trip. Emerging into the field, she ran faster, thinking only of the safety of her room. Voices trailed behind her from the woods. Her arms pumped at her sides and as the truck drew closer, more tears spilled down her cheeks. Digging her keys from her pocket, she rushed around the truck to the driver's side and nearly collided with a body.

Looking up, she stepped back, startled. "How–?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Reid asked, a hint of black fading from his blue eyes.

Of course. Magic. "Not fair," Fayth snapped, immediately going on the defense.

He shrugged. "No one always plays fair." He reached out, and she took another step away from him. "Fay, come on."

"No! Just let me go!" she said.

"Fay, let's talk."

"Just get out of my way, damnit!" she snapped, her fingers curling around the keys tightly.

"No! We need to talk," he said. And here was his stubbornness again.

"No we don't! Now move!" And there was hers.

He hand shot out and snatched her arm, yanking her to him. "Yes. We. Do."

"Let go, or –"

"Or what?" he challenged, looking down into her dark blue eyes.

"Or I'll hurt you," she snarled, glaring up at him. Why was she fighting the guy who, only minutes before, she had wanted to hold?

He gave a short laugh. "You can try."

Her eyes narrowed even more. "You're an arrogant ass, you know that?"

"And you're a bitchy brat," he shot back.

"Let. Go," she warned, her voice dangerously low.

"Make me," he said, his tone matching hers.

Her hand was quick, and the loud _SLAP_ sounded much more painful than she had intended. Reid's head turned to the side and his eyes snapped shut, his jaw clenched and muscles tense. He breathed deeply through his nose and swallowed, his hand still clenched around her upper arm, not hard enough to hurt, but not loose enough to yank it free either. As the seconds ticked by, the air around them seemed to change and become colder.

Swallowing and licking her lips, she studied him. The silence was starting to scare her more than if he had yelled or even hit her back. "Reid?" she asked tentatively. He breathed in again before turning his head to her and opening his eyes. Her eyes widened and she snapped her mouth shut before a startled scream escaped. His beautiful blue eyes were gone and replaced by pitch blackness.

"Don't hit me again," he growled. Closing his eyes again, he took in a few shaky breaths, the muscle in his jaw ticking. When he opened them again, her eyes met the beautiful blue. "Sorry. I'm still getting used to controlling this increased Power."

She gave one jerky nod, a little afraid of pissing him off too much. Why was it that when Pogue had tried to scare her earlier, she'd felt perfectly fine at hitting him, even though he was probably more likely to hit back, whereas with Reid, she suddenly felt like she was on thin ice? In an attempt to cover up her discomfort, she asked, "Why did you come after me?"

His lips twitched before pulling into a cocky smirk. "So I could do this." And then he pulled her even closer, bent his head, and claimed her lips.

His tongue pushed past her lips and met hers, and began a fierce dance as he quickly learned the contours of her mouth. His hands dropped to her hips and he spun her around, shoving her against the side of her truck and pressing his body against her. Her hands moved up, the keys falling from her grip, and tangled in his hair, forcing his head closer as she devoured his mouth. The ache in her chest disappeared, and was replaced by a warm sensation that spread throughout her body. His hands slipped to her ass and cupped her cheeks. She grabbed his shoulders and brought one leg up and, sensing her intent, he lifted her up so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her hands went back to fist in his blond hair, and she nearly moaned when the bulge in his jeans pressed against her center.

They broke away and she rested her head on his shoulder, panting. He nuzzled her hair, breathing heavy, and gently ran a hand through her dark red hair and down to the side of her neck. She inhaled his scent and sighed, wondering how they had gone from fighting to making out within minutes. And damn, what a make out session that was.

Smiling slightly, she said, "You know, I hate to admit it, but...."

"But what?" Reid asked.

"You're a great kisser."

He chuckled and pressed his lips to her collar bone before answering. "I could say the same about you." When she wiggled, he set her down, but placed his hands on either side of her, trapping her between him and the car. He nipped playfully at her neck and she felt him smirk when she sucked in air. "How about we go back to my dorm and finish this?" he suggested huskily.

Her hands slid up his chest and she pushed him away, smiling. "Sorry, buddy. But I'm not that easy.

He grinned, blue eyes sparkling. "Never said you were."

"And you never will," she said, grinning back before bending down and scooping up her keys.

"Aw, come on, Fay. You can't leave me in this state," he said, motioning toward his hard on.

Chuckling, she gently pushed him back a little more. "You'll survive. A nice cold shower'll help you out."

His eyebrows pulled together and his lips pushed into a pout as he gave her a mock frown. "You're a bitch."

"So I've been told," she replied happily, opening the driver's door. "See you later."

"I'm thinking about heading over to Nicky's soon. You wanna meet me there?"

She bit her bottom lip, thinking. "Maybe."

He cocked his head to the side. "Maybe?"

"Yep. Maybe." Before he could respond, she climbed into the truck and shut the door, shoving the keys into the ignition and starting the engine. Flashing him one last grin and a wink, she threw the truck into drive and stepped on the gas. The tires spun before catching the ground and the truck lurched forward before speeding away.


	21. Chapter 21

Fayth sat on her bed, staring at all the clothes she had pulled out. Why was this such a hard decision? She was just going to Nicky's for crying out loud! And yes, Reid would be there, but he was there every other time she went. So why was she making such a big deal about it now? Ugh! The bedroom door opened and a brunette girl walked in, followed by a blond girl and a dark skinned girl.

"Guess what?" Christina asked, clapping her hands together and smiling widely.

"What?" Fayth asked.

"You and Reid are all good!" Chris squealed.

"And how would you know?" Fayth asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, please. We all saw your make out session by your truck," Chris answered, waving her hand as if to dismiss the question.

Despite herself, Fayth grinned. "Guess the secret's out, huh?"

"Oh, yeah," Chris laughed. "By the way, this is Sarah"– she motioned toward the blond girl– "and Kate"– she motioned to the dark skinned girl– "Caleb's and Pogue's girls."

Fayth smiled at them. "Hey."

"Hey," they replied together happily.

"So what's with the disaster?" Chris asked, looking around the room. "It looks like your closet barfed out all your clothes."

"I can't decide what to wear," Fayth answered sheepishly.

"Oh, jeez." Chris moved around the room, picking up different clothes and then discarding them to pick up something else. "You're saying you can't find a single outfit from all these clothes?"

Fayth shrugged. "I don't know why it's so hard."

"Are you trying to impress a certain blond?" Kate asked mischievously.

Fayth quickly looked away. "Maybe."

"It's nothing to be ashamed about," Sarah said, smiling. "I've been with Caleb for just about six months, and I still spend at least an hour trying to find an outfit whenever I'm supposed to hang out with him."

"And me and Pogue have been together for almost two years," Kate added, "and I'm just barely starting to not care what I look like around him."

"It took you two years to get over that?" Chris laughed. "Damn, girl."

Kate frowned. "Well, he is a Son of Ipswich. Everyone expects their girls to look flawless, just like them."

This made Chris laugh even harder. Even Fayth cracked a smile before saying, "Well, no offense, but I'm glad I'm not that obsessed." Kate rolled her eyes, but didn't reply. Fayth looked around at the clothes again before grabbing a pair of black cargos and a clingy blye spaghetti strap. "I guess these will work." After changing, she applied a little make up, added her silver pendent necklace, and silver hoops. "Alright, let's go." She grabbed her keys and phone and slipped them into her pockets as she walked out of the room, the other three following.

"Who's car?" Chris asked as they stepped off the porch. Rain had started falling from the dark clouds overhead.

"We can take mine," Sarah suggested. "I think there'd be more room than in Fayth's truck."  
Just over twenty minutes later, Sarah pulled the car into the parking lot and shut off the engine. They climbed out and headed for the door. Fayth looked around and spotted Tyler's black Hummer. Yep, the boys were here. She followed Sarah and Kate into the bar while Christina walked beside her. As she trailed behind the blond and dark skinned girl, her eyes scanned the crowd and then landed on a small group around the pool table, where Reid's blond hair was peeking out from under his dark beanie. He was leaning against the wall, a pool stick grasped lightly in his hand, as he watched his partner, Tyler, take his shot. She pulled her gaze away as they stopped at a table, where Sarah and Kate dropped into chairs beside their boyfriends.

Caleb and Pogue smiled at their girlfriends and kissed their cheeks before smiling and greeting Christina. Then they each gave Fayth a sheepish smile and mumbled, "Hey." Fayth nodded at them to show she'd heard, but didn't verbally respond. She was still pissed at them for their behavior toward her earlier, especially Pogue.

"Listen, Fayth," Caleb began, casting his gaze away for a moment. "Pogue and I are, uh, sorry. About how we treated you today. And at the dance."

Fayth shrugged. "Whatever."

"We owe you," Pogue added, looking a little uncomfortable. "If it wasn't for you, Reid... we might not have found him until he really did something."

"I didn't do it for you," Fayth said with an edge to her tone. "You don't owe me anything." The boys slumped back in their chairs as if knowing there was no point in arguing.

"Are the other two playing pool?" Chris asked. Caleb and Pogue nodded, and everyone's eyes drifted to the pool table.

A lack haired girl had made her way over, and was leaning on the wall a little too close to Reid. He seemed a little distracted by the game, but smiled and continued the conversation with her. She flipped her hair over her shoulder before running a hand down his upper arm as she leaned in and whispered something in his ear. A tiny bit of anger flashed through Fayth when Reid grinned and said something to the girl, making her laugh.

"Reid's always been a flirt," Sarah said, her voice a little higher than normal.

"I know," Fayth said, glancing at the blond girl and then back to Reid.

The girl's hand slid up behind Reid's neck, and then she pulled his to hers, capturing his lips with her own. Anger instantly began bubbling inside Fayth, turning to boiling rage when Reid pulled away five seconds later than he should have. He blinked and gave the girl and awkward smile before saying something, casting his gaze away from her as he spoke. His eyes found the group's table, and when his gaze landed on Fayth, his face paled.

Anger and hurt burned her eyes, and when Fayth turned to the group, she saw sympathy in every pair of eyes including Caleb and Pogue, and that was worse than if they had all looked smug. "I'll see you guys later," she said, her tone clipped. She turned and began shoving her way through the crowd toward the door. Aaron stepped in front of her, and from the look in his face, she knew he'd seen what happened. He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up her hand to stop him. "Don't." And then she pushed past him to the door. Cold rain soaked through her clothes as soon as she was outside, but she didn't care. The cold was a relief to the hot anger burning inside her. How could she have accepted him back into her life? How could she have let herself trust him again?

"Fayth!" Christina yelled.

She kept walking, heading for the road. She needed to get away.

"Fayth!" Why the hell was Pogue calling to her?

"Fayth, hold up!" Now Tyler was calling her?

Still she continued walking, but quickened her pace.

"Fay!"

Her feet instantly stopped at his voice and her hands balled into fists at her side. "What?" she asked, unable to keep the anger from her voice.

"I'm so sorry," Reid said. "I didn't mean for that to happen."

"Whatever."

"Fay, please." His hand rested on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off and stepped away. "I swear, I didn't mean for that to happen."

"But it did." Her vision blurred and her chest began to ache.

"Will you please look at me?"

Fayth spun around, her eyes flashing with anger, and she felt a twinge of satisfaction when Reid took a step back. "What do you want?"

"I didn't think she would actually kiss me," Reid answered, blinking raindrops from his eyes. "And when she did–"

"You kissed her back," Fayth stated, feeling her eyes narrow slightly.

"No! No, I didn't!"

"I saw you!" Fayth yelled. "You weren't exactly the quickest to pull away, were you?"

"I... I was surprised," Reid said helplessly.

"So was I," Fayth snapped. "Surprised that I let myself trust you again."

"You _can_ trust me," Reid insisted.

Fayth laughed, the sound cold and hallow. "Of course I can. I just have to share you with every other girl in sight, right?"

"Fay, don't be like this. Let's go inside and get out of the rain."

"Why don't you go back in with your little slut," Fayth snarled. "I'm sure she'd love to warm you up and dry you off."

His eyes narrowed. "I'm only going inside if you go with me."

"Then I guess you're going to be out here for a long time." Fayth turned and stormed off toward the road. Headlights lit up the night, and she let out a sigh. Maybe she could hitch a ride with whoever that was.

"Fay, come back here!" Reid called. His feet slapped against the wet pavement as he ran to her. His hand landed on her shoulder again, and she shrugged it off again.

"Leave me alone, Reid."

"Fay, talk to me."

"No!" She quickened her pace as the car drew nearer.

"Fay, stop being so damn stubborn," Reid said, exasperated. He grabbed her arm just before she could step up to the road and wave down the speeding car.

She spun and glared at him. "Let go," she hissed, tugging her arm.

He held firm. "No."

"Let go!" This time she yanked even harder, and her arm pulled free from his grasp. She stumbled backward and landed hard on the pavement. Reid moved to help her up, but she crawled backwards away from him. "Just get away from me!"

"Fayth!" Christina screamed as headlights washed over her.

Fayth turned and scrambled to her feet, a scream stuck in her throat. A horn blared, the sound mixing with the screams and shouts coming from Reid and the others. Bright yellow light blinded her and she staggered a little, her mind not quite processing what was happening. Was this what it was like for a deer when it met a car on the road? The horn blared again, snapping her out of her daze. She gasped and jumped, only to realize too late that she had only jumped up, and not out of the way. Cold, wet metal slammed into her and she rolled across the hood of the car and smashed into the windshield. Pain speared through her arms, side and legs, and the horrible sound of bones cracking met her ears. Her head was pounding, and she hissed when glass sliced into her bare skin. The squeal of brakes sounded, and then she was rolling again, only to land hard on black pavement, skidding across the road and scuffing up whatever part of her body touched the ground.

Every breath was ragged and painful. Warm, sticky liquid trickled from different spots of her body, and her head continued to pound and throb. The cold rain fell on and around her, the drops of water sliding across her skin. She could hear people shouting and screaming. Footsteps pounded across the ground, growing closer. Someone was leaning over her, saying her name over and over. A blurry shape hovered over her face, others swimming nearby. She blinked, straining to open her eyes again. Another blink, but her eyelids refused to open again. And then she was falling through blackness.


	22. Chapter 22

Voices.

Aching, throbbing pain.

Heat. Warmth spreading through her body; washing over and dulling the pain.

Sirens.

More voices.

And then silent darkness.

"_Marco!"_

"_Polo!"_

_She spun around, her eyes searching the night around her, looking for any sign of movement. "Marco!"_

"_Polo!"_

_A twig snapped nearby, and she grinned when the branch of a small tree next to her wiggled. "Marco." No answer. She slowly walked over to the tree, licking her lips. She jumped up and grabbed the branch, pulling herself up. "Got--!" Nothing. He had just been here! "Marco!"_

"_Polo!" came the reply from a little ways away._

_The little jerk. She jumped down and looked around again, her eyes sifting through the dark shadows cast by the backyard's trees. "Marco!" She heard the sound of grass and leaves crunching under someone's foot and her grin returned. "Marco." _

"_Polo," was the whispered reply. _

_She sprinted for the trees and burst past them, looking around wildly. He was here, she knew it. No more hiding. Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. He was just here, she knew it. A hand grabbed her shoulder, and she screamed and jumped, spinning around. "You jerk!"_

_The blond boy collapsed on the ground, laughing and holding his stomach. "It's too easy!"_

"_Why do you always have to scare me?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and glaring down at him, the same stance her mother took when she was angry. If only she could look as intimidating as her mother. _

"_Because it's easy," Reid grinned, standing up again. "You should really start expecting it."_

"_Hmpf." She crossed her arms and turned her back to him. _

"_Aw, come on, Fay. Don't be like that." When she didn't reply, he sighed. "Okay, I'll lay off a little."_

"_You'll stop?"_

"_Not completely. I just won't do it as often."_

The shadows swirled, and she began to slowly rise. She tried pushing herself up more, but it was like swimming through mud. The darkness did not want to let her go. Her arms flailed uselessly in a pathetic attempt to reach the surface.

"Caleb, why isn't she waking up?"

"I don't know."

"I healed her. She should be awake by now."

"The doctor says she's in a coma."

"Some people never wake up from comas."

"Pogue, that's not helping!"

"She needs to wake up."

Blackness pushed at her, pulling her back down. Her arms flailed again, but the darkness swept over her and took her back.

"_Ewwww, mom."_

"_What?"_

"_Me and Reid? Together? That's gross!"_

"_Well, you two are such good friends. And a good relationship needs a good, solid foundation of friendship."_

"_But Reid? He's… he's Reid!"_

"_Alright, hunny. Maybe when you get older, you'll see what I'm talking about."_

"_Me and Reid will never be anything more than friends. Ever." _

"_Whatever you say."_

She pushed up, trying desperately to reach the surface and break free from the darkness surrounding her. But again, it was like swimming through mud, and she began to sink back down. She grasped for anything that could help her pull herself up, but found nothing. The shadows swirled again.

"What are you doing here, Abbott?"

"I should be asking you the same thing, Garwin, considering you're the reason she was in the middle of the road."

"Shut up, Aaron."

"Stay out of this, Parry."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see how she's doing."

A pause.

"They say she's in a coma."

"Is she going to wake up?"

Another pause.

"We don't know."

The darkness was back, pulling her back down.

* * * * * * *

His head bounced a little, jarring him awake. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the hospital lights and he yawned. His back had started aching from sitting in the chair for hours, but he ignored it. The room door opened, and he looked up to see Caleb, Pogue and Tyler walk in.

"Dude, you need to go get some rest," Pogue said.

Reid shook his head and let his eyes rest on the girl in the bed beside him. She looked so peaceful and relaxed. If only he could see her beautiful blue eyes.

"Reid, at least come down and get some food with us," Caleb tried. Again, he shook his head. The oldest son sighed.

"You haven't left this room in three days," Tyler stated gently.

"So?" Reid asked, noting how hoarse his voice was. "It's my fault she's like this," he added quietly.

"No it's not," Caleb said firmly.

"Yes it is," Reid argued weakly. "I knew that girl was flirting with me. I should have walked away. I knew Fayth was supposed to come soon. If I had just walked away, then me and Fay would have never fought, and she wouldn't be in here." His eyes began to prickle and he swallowed a lump in his throat. "I tried. I tried to heal her. But it didn't work."

"Yes it did," Tyler said. "If you hadn't used on her, she would have died. She's alive because of you."

Reid shook his head. "She's in a coma."

"You should get some fresh air," Caleb said.

"I don't want to leave."

"It'll only be for five minutes."

"I don't want to leave," he repeated firmly. The three boys nodded and left, closing the door behind them. He leaned down, resting his arm on the bed beside her and setting his head on his lower arm as he slipped his hand into hers. "Fay, please. I'm so sorry for everything. Please wake up. I need you. Don't leave me."

* * * * * * *


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: hey guys! sorry that this chapter is a little short. but i think that it's important that it's this short. i don't want to ruin it by adding more, ya know? well, enjoy!!!! and as always, messege and review ur thoughts! i love hearing them!**

_"Fay, please. I'm so sorry for everything. Please wake up. I need you. Don't leave me."_

Reid.

The darkness swirled, and a sliver of light momentarily showed itself high above her before fading. She struggled against the unseen mud holding her, trying to reach up. But it held tight, not wanting to release her. She twisted, wiggled, tried everything to get free, but it didn't help. She had to see him. See Reid.

Again the darkness swirled, and the sliver of light reappeared, this time a little bigger. And this time, she increased her efforts, trying desperately to reach the light. She kicked her legs and swung her arms up, almost like she was swimming, and felt herself move a tiny bit. The light was fading again, and she began to panic, kicking and thrashing as she fought her way up, little by little.

Reid was up there.

The sliver of light increased slightly. She swung her arms up again and kicked harder. She had to see him. Nothing else mattered. Not that he ran away from her. Not his powers. Not his "brothers". Not that stupid fight they'd had in the parking lot. Not that slutty girl. None of that matter. Just him. His silky blond hair; smooth skin; delicious lips; beautiful blue eyes. His face appeared before her, and she felt her heartbeat stutter. Bright light burst through the darkness above, chasing the shadows away from her. She kicked and felt herself begin to rise, the mud no longer holding her.

* * * * * * *

His eyes were closed and sleep was slinking past his defenses, trying to pull him into darkness. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, not wanting to fall asleep, but not wanting to open them either. And then he felt it. A tiny twitch of what his fingers were holding. His eyes flew open and he sat there, staring at their entwined fingers. But nothing happened. Had he imagined it? He must have. A quick glance at her face showed that her eyes were still closed. His chest began to ache. The doctors had said that the longer someone is in a coma, the less likely it is for them to pull out of it. It had been almost four days, and she hadn't changed. He swallowed and clenched his teeth, letting his eyes return to their hands.

Her index finger twitched. He almost jumped from his seat, but restrained himself. Instead he watched as, little by little, her fingers curled around his hand. His eyes started to prickle and he felt water building in them. His eyes darted to her face hopefully. Her chest rose, higher than it had been, and then slowly went back down. Her eye slowly opened, and she blinked at the blinding hospital lights.

It was then that he realized the tears were now rolling down his cheeks. But he didn't care. She was awake. She was alive. She was okay. Her eyes shifted and fell on him, and his heart skipped a beat. Her lips pulled up into a small smile, and the light that filled her eyes when she said, very quietly, "Reid" made him want to laugh and cry at the same time.

He let out the breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Fay." That was all he could get out. Emotion made his throat tight, and the tears made his voice sound thick. He leaned down and pressed his lips to the back of her hand, and then turned it over and kissed the center of her palm. Her fingers trailed across his jaw to cup his face in her hand, and he smiled through the cascade of tears that were now falling rapidly.

The room door opened. "Reid? What's wrong?"

Reid looked at his best friend, unable to keep the huge smile from his lips. "She's awake, baby boy."

Tyler's eyes moved to the bed, and his face lit up. He ran out the door yelling, "She's awake!"

Moments later, doctors and nurses were in the room, examining her, taking her blood pressure, checking the computers. Reid had moved from his seat to give them more room, and he loved how her eyes followed him wherever he went. Not long after, her parents were there. Her mother was in happy tears, and her father was smiling widely. When the doctors were done, her parents went to her, hugging her. As much as he hated to do so, Reid slipped out the door and slowly walked to the waiting room. She needed time with her parents. Not to mention she probably didn't want to see him. It was his fault she was in there in the first place. Sure, she had seemed happy to see him when she'd opened her eyes. But he was the only one in the room at the time. He was the only one she'd seen in over three days. If anyone else had been in the room, she'd have had the same reaction to them. He was sure of it. She wouldn't really want to see him after everything he'd done to her.


	24. Chapter 24

"Oh, hunny!" her mother said again, squeezing her hand and leaning down to kiss her forehead again.

"Mom," Fayth chuckled weakly. "I'm fine." Her eyes drifted to the door. Why had he left?

The door opened and a head of dark hair flew into the room. "Fayth! Oh, Fayth! I'm so glad you're awake! I was so worried! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Christina jumped on the bed and pulled Fayth into a tight hug.

"Chris," Fayth gasped. "Can't breath!"

"Sorry!" She let go immediately.

Fayth smiled at her best friend. "It's okay." Her mother sniffed loudly, and she looked at her. "Mom, don't cry."

Her mother smiled as a tear escaped her eye. "Sorry. It's just... it's a miracle. You're awake and unharmed. You're okay."

Fayth smiled at her mother. "Yeah. A miracle." No, it wasn't a miracle. It was magic.

"Are you up for seeing a few more people?" Chris asked. "There's a little group in the waiting room."

"Yeah, sure," Fayth said. "Send them in." Once Chris had left the room, her parents stood as well.

"We need to sign some papers," her father said.

"Can you ask when I can leave?" Fayth asked. "I'm ready to go home."

"We'll ask."

A few minutes after her parents left, Chris returned, followed by six other people. Fayth smiled. "Hey, guys." They all greeted her.

Aaron sat on the bed beside her and looked at her intently. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Fayth smiled. She took his hand and gave it a gently squeeze. "Really," she added when he didn't look completely convinced. Her eyes drifted over Sarah, Kate, Pogue, Tyler, and Caleb, landing on the door again. Where was he? Didn't he want to see her?

"He left," Tyler said. Fayth looked at him and frowned slightly. "He came out and told us you were awake, and then left." Tyler shifted his feet. "It's the first time he's left this room since you were brought in."

Her gaze fell to her lap. He had left? Why? "Wait. What do you mean he hadn't left this room?"

"I mean just that. I think the only time he would move from that chair was to use the bathroom. We had to bring him food, or I don't think he would have eaten," Tyler answered.

She let her gaze return to his. "Why did he leave?"

Tyler hesitated. "He figured you wouldn't want to see him... after everything that happened."

Aaron snorted, and her eyes snapped to him. "Don't even start," she warned. He glanced away and kept his mouth shut.

"I know it may not seem like it, but he really cares about you," Caleb said gently.

"He has a great way of showing it," Aaron mumbled.

"Aaron," Fayth growled.

"Sorry."

She breathed in and laid back against her pillows. Reid really was the most stubborn person she'd ever known.

"I have to go help my mom move some boxes. She's been nagging to come over for a week," Aaron said. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes," Fayth smiled. He returned her smile and stood up and left. She waited a few minutes, just to make sure he was out of ear shot, before speaking. "He healed me, didn't he? He... used on me."

The three boys nodded. A minute later, her parents walked in, followed by a doctor. After going over more papers, checking the monitors, and doing one last check up, the doctor finally agreed to let her go. Not only was she perfectly fine, but she had asked nonstop when she could leave. It was easy to tell that he didn't want to let her out yet, but her constant insistence on leaving proved to work. Two hours later, she was walking out of the hospital with her parents. The others had left earlier. Once they were home, Fayth went to upstairs, ready for a shower and fresh clothes.

Once clean and changed, she grabbed her phone and dialed. Three rings later, he answered. "Is he there?" she asked.

"No," Tyler answered. "But I'm guessing he'll be back soon."

"Can I come over?"

"Uh, sure," he said, sounding a little confused.

Twenty minutes later, she was pulling into Spencer's parking lot. After killing the engine, she rushed to the dorms and up to Reid and Tyler's room. Tyler opened the door after one knock and stepped aside to let her in. "Thanks. Have you heard from him?"

"Yeah," Tyler sighed. "He's on his way back. I guess he had gone to the cliffs."

Fayth nodded. "Do you mind if I wait here?"

"No, of course not."

"Do you mind taking off for a while?" she asked. He raised his eyebrows. "I know this is your dorm, but I really need to talk to him. Privately."

He sighed. "Sure, why not. Just don't kill each other, okay?"

"We won't."

He grabbed his keys and left, closing the door behind him. Fayth looked around, trying to calm her nerves. He loved her, she knew it. She just had to get him to admit it. She laid down on her back on his bed to wait while trying to figure out a way to get him to admit his feelings.

* * * * * * *

He fished his keys from his pocket and slipped the right one into the lock and turned it. As he pushed the door open and walked in, his eyes fell on his bed and his breathing hitched. She sat up slowly, her eyes never leaving his, and licked her lips. Even after spending four days unconscious in the hospital, she still looked beautiful. She had changed from the hospital gown into dark baggy pants and a blue tank top, and her dark red hair fell in lush waves around her shoulders. Her blue eyes seemed brighter than usual, but that could just be because he hadn't seen them for so long. His body itched to touch her, but he held back. Why was she here?

"Reid." Her voice was stronger than it had been when she'd first woken up. But just like before, her eyes lit up when she said his name.

"Fay," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she replied, slowly standing.

"Why?" After everything he'd done, all the pain he'd caused her, why would she want to see him?

A slow smile lifted her lips, and she walked over to him. "Sometimes, Reid, you are just too thick-headed." Without giving him a chance to respond, her hands grasped his shoulders and she pulled herself up, her lips crashing against his. Her body pressed against him, molding with his perfectly as her hands snaked around to the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her. Her tongue grazed his bottom lip, and he immediately gave her entrance. Their tongues met in a frantic dance as he ran his fingers through her soft hair and then fell to her hips.

He lifted his head, breaking the kiss, and gently pushed her back. "Why?" he repeated. "I've done nothing but hurt you. Why would you want to be here with me now?"

Her tongue brushed across her lips briefly and she smiled. "Because even though you're one of the biggest assholes in the world, and you have the habit of driving me to the brink of insanity, you're the only guy who can really put up with my bullshit."

He chuckled. "You _are_ an extremely difficult girl."

Her lips pushed into a small pout, but her eyes remained playful. She inhaled deeply before speaking again. "I love you."

His heart skipped as his stomach lurched up into his chest. She... loved him? He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. How could she love someone like him? "Why?" How many times was he going to ask that?

She rolled her eyes and her lips twitched in amusement. "I have no idea. I... can't explain it. I just have this... feeling whenever I see or think of you. A feeling that I don't get from anyone else."

She looked so sure of her words, so confident. Trusting. The same way she looked when they were growing up. "I'm sorry for everything," he said, his throat constricting as he spoke.

"I know," was all she said. And it was all she had to say.

He dipped his head and claimed her mouth in a wildly passionate kiss. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her closer, unable to feel close enough to her. He felt her smile into the kiss as her hands trailed up to his shoulders. They broke away, and he rested his forehead against hers, his eyes locking with her beautiful blue ones.

In one breathy voice, he said, "I love you." There was no describing the emotion that lit her face at his words. He bent and took her mouth again, this time sliding his hands beneath her ass and lifting her, her legs instinctively wrapping around his waist. He walked forward and placed her on his bed, following her down without breaking the kiss. When the tips of his fingers slipped beneath her shirt an touched her soft skin, he knew that this time, unlike when he was with other girls, he wanted no pleasure for himself. He wanted to give her everything he could, and show her how sorry he was for everything he'd ever done to hurt her.


	25. Chapter 25

Sunlight fell onto her face, warming her skin. Fayth squeezed her eyes, trying to block out the light and drift back into her dark slumber. But it was no use. She breathed in and was suddenly aware of a weight across her stomach. Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes, squinting at the bright light, and looked around. A dorm room. From the looks of it, a guy's dorm room. Her eyes widened and her gaze dropped to her stomach, where a bare arm was draped over her, and followed the arm up to rest on Reid Garwin's face, relaxed and peaceful as he slept. Her eyes then dropped to the tangle of sheets and blankets around them, and their bare bodies. Completely bare bodies.

And then she remembered everything. The hospital. Her coming to his dorm and waiting. Kissing. His hands all over body, exploring every curve she had while her own hands roamed across the lean ropes of muscles beneath his skin. And the way his touch made her _feel_. She had to suppress a little moan at the memory.

She relaxed into his embrace and felt his arm tighten around her slightly, and smiled. Her eyes moved over the room and stopped on the second bed. The empty bed. Tyler hadn't returned to the dorm since he'd let her in. Had he... known this would happen? Or was he just playing it safe? Hopefully he was just playing it safe. Maybe Christina had convinced him to do something for the night.

Reid shifted, and his soft lips pressed against her shoulder as he pulled her closer. She felt her cheeks heat, and remembered how many times she'd blushed the night before, starting with when he'd first removed her shirt. He chuckled, and the sound vibrated through her.

"Are you blushing again?" he asked.

"No," she said, tilting her head away so he couldn't see the color in her cheeks.

"Liar," he whispered, kissing her shoulder again, then the crook of her neck, and trailed his hand along her stomach and down toward her center. She caught his hand just as it passed her belly button, her cheeks burning and her body beginning to tingle in anticipation. He chuckled again. "I like it when you blush."

She couldn't respond without moaning. His fingers were stroking just above the little tuft of hair between her legs, and each stroke was sending pleasurably nervous tremors through her. Inhaling deeply, she pulled his hand away and wiggled a few inches away from him. "Enough." Her voice cracked, and she silently slapped herself.

"You sure?" he asked playfully. He leaned over and gently nipped the skin at the nape of her neck, causing her to inhale sharply as her eyes slid shut.

"Reid." She'd meant it to sound firm, but it came out a breathy whisper.

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

She rolled over into her stomach and looked at him, tucking her hands under her cheek. "What time is it?"

He leaned over her and somehow found his cell phone on the floor. "Um, almost eleven. Who called me?"

"Reid, get off," Fayth laughed, pushing him back onto his side of the bed.

"That's not what you were saying last night," he teased.

Her cheeks heated again, and she quickly rolled out of the bed before he could grab her. "Yeah, well, that was last night."

He gave her a wicked grin. "Want to repeat last night?"

_Yes! _she thought. "Maybe later." She glanced around and found her cell phone, flipped it open and sighed. Two missed calls from Christina, and three text messages from Christina. Wow. The voicemails were basically the same, asking about what her and Reid were up to and why Tyler didn't want to return to the dorm. The texts were similar. She rolled her eyes and turned to Reid, who had just hung up on his own voicemail. "Do you mind if I make a phone call?"

He shrugged. "Go ahead."

She dialed and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hey Chris."

"Fayth! Are you with Reid?"

"Duh."

Christina squealed. "So you were with him all night. Was Tyler right about him not returning to the dorm?"

"Christina!" Tyler shouted from the background, making her friend giggle.

"Um, probably," Fayth answered. Chris squealed again. "Oh, shut up."

"So you guys are up now?"

"Mmhmm."

"Great! Me and Tyler were going to meet Caleb, Pogue and their girls for lunch. Wanna come?"

She turned to Reid. "Wanna meet everyone for lunch?"

"Sure."

"Yeah. Where?"

An hour and a half later, Fayth and Reid were walking into the small diner her and Christina liked. They slid into the last available space at the booth, Reid's arm automatically going around her shoulders. She leaned her head against him and suppressed a yawn.

"Long night?" Pogue asked, giving them a knowing smile.

"Shut up," Fayth sighed.

"We figured, seeing as how you're almost an hour late," Christina commented.

"Not my fault," Fayth said, giving Reid a pointed look.

Reid shrugged. "Couldn't help myself."

Caleb, Pogue and Tyler just shook their heads, unable to hide their smiles. Sarah and Kate just grinned knowingly, and Christina nudged Fayth with her elbow. When she looked, Chris gave her a quick thumbs up, making Fayth laugh. When the waiter came, they ordered their drinks and food, and then chatted about nothing.

"Oh!" Chris said halfway through lunch. "I almost forgot. Me and the guys got one last gig."

"Really?" Fayth asked. "That's great!"

"Yeah. It's at Nicky's. Same as last time: juke box songs with some of our own. But you have to come!" she said, giving Fayth big puppy dog eyes.

"You know I will," Fayth laughed.

"And will you sing?"

She should have seen that coming. "Um.... I don't know."

"Oh, come on," Chris said. "Please?"

Reid nudged her. "You should do it."

Fayth shot him a mock glare. "You're supposed to be on my side."

He grinned, but didn't comment.

"Please?" Chris asked again. "This is our last gig. You have to!"

Fayth sighed, defeated. "Oh, alright. When's the gig?"

"Next week!" Chris said, clapping in joy.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: hey everyone! I'm sooo sorry for such a late update! I really am!!! I just couldn't figure out how to put the ending together. But I have a plan! And i promise to update within the next week! So enjoy!!!**

Fayth and Reid spent most of their free time together throughout the following week. They were either at his dorm, at the cliff, or hanging out with Tyler and Christina. The little time that Fayth didn't spend with the blond son was spent with Christina, Ryan and Kyle, practicing for their last gig. And because it was the last, all of them wanted it to be amazing. Not like their past performances at the bar. No. This one had to be memorable. And according to Christina, Fayth's part would send the crowd over the edge.

They had even roped Sarah and Kate into it. When Fayth performed, they were going to be her back up dancers. So when the band wasn't focusing on the music, they were focusing on the dancing. And being the shopaholic that she was, Kate insisted on buying new outfits for her, Sarah and Fayth. According to her, they needed to "look the part" for their performance. And after a lot of convincing, Fayth finally agreed to buy the outfit Kate, Sarah and Chris had deemed _perfect_.

They had worked it all out. Friday evening, the band would meet up at Nicky's and Fayth would arrive with the sons, Kate and Sarah. And so at seven o'clock on Friday night, Fayth made the finishing touches on her make up, slipped on her sneakers, and left her room. She, Kate and Sarah had given Christina their outfits so that no one would see them before it was time. Her father met her at the bottom of the stairs, and crossed his arms.

"You sure you don't want to drive yourself?" he asked.

Fayth rolled her eyes. "No, dad." Monday evening, Fayth had told her parents about her relationship with Reid, and both had been wary about the blond boy, especially her father. She smiled at him. "You don't have to worry."

"I'm your father, so yes I do."

There was a knock on the door, and Fayth moved to go open it, but was stopped by her father's hand on her shoulder.

"I want to talk to him," he said sternly. Fayth nodded and let him open the door.

Reid stood on the porch, and when he saw her father, he immediately straightened his posture. "Hello, Mr. Henderson."

"Reid," her father said curtly, and then stepped aside. "Come in. I want a word with you."

Reid hesitated for the briefest moment, and then walked into the house, his eyes flicking to Fayth and then back to her father. Her father turned and walked into the living room, and Reid followed. After a minute, Fayth slipped over to the wall just beside the living room's doorway, and listened.

"Fayth has seemed pretty happy this week," her father began. "Happier than she has been the past few years. And I'm sure it's because you're back in her life."

"I'm glad to be back in her life," Reid stated.

"But you were the one who took off on her. Who pushed her out of your life."

"Yes, I did," Reid said after a moment of silence. "But that won't happen again."

"You did it once, so you can do it again," her father said, anger leaking into his voice.

"I won't." Reid sounded so sure, it made Fayth smile slightly. "I promise."

Another moment of silence passed, this one a little longer than the last, and then her father broke it. "If you break that promise, I'll break your neck. I don't _ever_ want to see my daughter that torn up again."

"And you won't," Reid said.

The floor creaked as they moved, and Fayth scampered back to the stairs, turning just as the two reappeared from their little talk. "Everything okay?" she asked, eying them both, though she already knew the answer.

Reid smiled and walked over to her. "Yeah. Everything's fine."

Her father nodded in agreement, watching the blond boy carefully.

"Well then, we should get going." Fayth hugged her father, took Reid's hand, and pulled him out the door. "Bye dad. Bye mom! Be back later!" Without waiting for a reply, she pulled the door closed and blew out a sigh. "Glad that's over with."

"You're dad's not happy with me," Reid sighed looping his arm around her waist and guiding her over to the Hummer, where Tyler was waiting. "And he has good reason."

Fayth leaned up and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Let's not ruin tonight by bringing up the past, okay? Besides, we don't want to be late." Her nerves were already beginning to hum. She moved to open the back door, but Reid pressed his hands against the Hummer's side, trapping her between him and the vehicle. Her heartbeat sped up as she looked up into his playful blue eyes, and her breath hitched when he leaned down, his lips just barely brushing hers.

"You're right. We don't want to be late." He stepped back, turned, and climbed into the passenger's side.

She clenched her teeth and inhaled deeply, and then yanked open the back door and climbed in. "You're an ass," she hissed, slamming the door.

Tyler chuckled as he put the Hummer in drive and backed out of the driveway. When they parked and climbed out of the Hummer at Nicky's, Fayth's stomach did one huge somersault. She had never done a performance like the one she was going to do tonight, and she kept envisioning herself tripping and falling at some point during the night. Why had she agreed to this?

Reid's arm slipped around her waist, pulling her from her thoughts as he guided her to the door. Oh, right. She had agreed because after talking it out with the girls, she had wanted to see Reid's reaction. The Power that he shared with his "brothers" was nothing compared to his special kind of gift. The one that made her weak in the knees and made her want to beg him to stay with her forever. With a simple glance, he could make her feel like jelly and make her feel like queen of the world, all at the same time. But tonight, she was going to show him her gift. Her real gift. She would make _him_ feel weak in the knees, weak as jelly. Tonight, she _would_ be the queen of the world. Tonight, he was going to see her really perform. If he had been impressed with her voice the few times Christina had pulled her up on stage in the past, he was going to be blown away tonight. That is, if she didn't trip or mess up.

In the bar, the atmosphere was buzzing with excitement and curiosity. Behind the stage, the band had set up two curtains leaving an opening between them. That was where Fayth was supposed to emerge from at the beginning of her song. Chris had said that she would announce when it was time, so all Fayth had to do was wait.

She turned to the blond boy. "I'll be right back." He nodded, and she slipped through the crowd over to the stage, where Christina, Ryan and Kyle were standing. "Hey guys!"

"Hey!" Chris squealed. "You ready?"

Fayth rolled her eyes playfully. "Guess so."

Chris hip bumped her and then flung an arm over her shoulders. "You are gonna do great. Honestly, your performance will probably be the best of the night."

Fayth scoffed. "Please. I'm doing one song. This night is all about you guys."

"But really, we would only be here if it wasn't for you," Ryan pointed out.

"That's true," Kyle added. "We wouldn't even be a band if it wasn't for you. So technically, this night is about you."

Fayth opened her mouth, but Christina cut her off. "Don't even try to deny that. We all know it's true, even you. So go dance and have fun, and I'll let you know when you need to come up here."

Fayth grinned. "Alright, alright. Thanks guys."

"Hey." Tyler appeared and pulled Christina to him, pressed his lips to hers for a long, slow kiss, and Chris eagerly to his body.

A pair of arms wrapped around Fayth's waist and pulled her back into a hard body. Fayth breathed in his familiar cologne as she leaned her head back against his chest. She watched their two best friends, shook her head, and nudged Christina's ass with her foot. "Hey, you two. Break it up. Chris, you got a gig to do."

"Seriously, I don't need to see a make out session," Ryan piped up, shaking his head. "Now break it up!"

Christina giggled and pulled away, shooting playful glares at Fayth and Ryan. "You two are just jealous."

Ryan snorted. "Yeah, 'cause I really wanna make out with a guy."

Fayth laughed. "I'm perfectly happy with who I have." Reid gave her waist a gentle squeeze and kissed her neck, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Hey."

Fayth turned and smiled, pulling away from Reid to hug the newcomer. "Hey!"

Aaron pulled back. "You going to sing tonight?"

Fayth shrugged. "They're making me."

"Oh don't even try to lay all the blame on us!" Chris said, wagging her finger at her. "You want to do this and you know it." Fayth smirked, but didn't deny it. Because yes, she did want to do this. "That's what I thought," Chris said, nodding.

"I'll see you later, okay?" Aaron said.

"Yeah, definitely," Fayth grinned.

As soon as Aaron was swallowed by the crowd, Reid's arms were back around her waist, pulling her to him. His hands dropped to the front of her hips, and his fingers began playing with the top of her cargos, grazing the skin on her stomach as they slipped under her tank top. She swallowed as her head fell back against his chest and heat flashed through her body. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was smirking. "Stop."

His fingers paused. "You sure?" She breathed in and stepped away from him, casting him a stern look. He chuckled and held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, I'm done." She eyed him for another minute, and then smiled and let him wrap his arms around her again.

"Okay, boys. Let's do this," Christina said. She, Kyle and Ryan climbed onto the stage, and the crowd's cheers were deafening. She stepped up to the mic and grinned. "What's up everybody?" The crowd cheered again. "Well, it's great that you guys are so eager to have us back. But, unfortunately, we have some bad news." She looked back at the boys, and they nodded, and she turned back to the somewhat confused crowd. She took a deep breath. "Because the three of us are seniors in high school, and graduation is only a couple months away, we need to focus on that and on the colleges we chose. So, this will be out last gig."

Everyone in the crowd went slack-jawed.

"We're really sorry for any disappointment," Chris continued. "But hopefully tonight will be the gig that you guys remember forever." A mischievous grin lifted her lips. "We worked hard to make sure that tonight will be ya'lls favorite. So, let's PARTY!"


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: hi! yes i know this update is later than i said it would be. i'm sorry!!!! but hope you enjoy it!!!**

**if you want to see Fayth's dress (yes i know it's sexy, but don't worry! it plays a bigger part than just the performance ;) look on my profile**

**and also, the song is Carrie Underwood's Cowboy Casanova. here's the youtube link if you want to listen to it: look on my profile**

It seemed as though everyone in the bar was enjoying the band as the night went on. More people danced and requested songs. Clearly, they were going to miss Hell's Angels. When Fayth wasn't tag-teaming with Reid at the pool table, she was chatting with Sarah and Kate, both of whom were also slightly nervous about the performance. She even pulled Aaron onto the dance floor a few times, and was very impressed that Reid didn't lose his temper about it.

When midnight came around, Fayth found herself over at the bar, waiting for Nicky to get her a soda. She leaned against the counter, moving her hips a little to the music. Reid and Tyler had taken over the pool table and were currently in an almost perfectly matched game with Aaron and Brody. Fayth smirked to herself, knowing that Reid was probably itching to use just to win. But he had become a lot better since his father had died. In fact, she hadn't seen him use since that evening at the cliff. Nicky slid her drink over to her and she smiled when he shook his head at her money. "Thanks Nick!" she called over the music, and took the cup and turned to head back to the boys. But then she froze.

The black haired girl who had kissed Reid was back. Fayth watched, her eyes narrowing, as the girl waltzed right up to the blond son and ran her hand down his arm. Anger flashed through Fayth and she clenched her jaw, waiting. Reid turned to the girl, smiled, and turned back to the game.

And just like that, her anger faded. She shook her head, silently laughing at herself for letting the girl get to her. Again. Clearly, he wasn't interested.

But the girl was persistent. She stepped closer to Reid, leaned up and whispered something in his ear, her arms snaking around his shoulders and pulling him closer to her. Fayth breathed in, lifted her chin, and wound her way through the crowd to the pool table. "Do you mind getting your hands off my boyfriend? I'd rather he not have skanky fingerprints all over him."

The girl turned and sneered. "Excuse me?"

Fayth smiled. "You heard me."

The girl turned and crossed her arms, her eyes giving Fayth a once-over. Her sneer grew. "Girlfriend, huh? Yeah, right. Why don't you run back to the playpen and let the adults have some private time."

Fayth's smile grew as she took a step closer. "Why don't you run off and find some other boy to play with before I break your pretty little nose?"

The girl raised her chin. "You're full of shit."

Fayth's eyes trailed to Reid, who was watching their little fight and looking rather amused. Might as well give him an actual show. She held out her drink to him, take two more steps forward so that she was positioned just right. "Here, baby, can you hold this?"

Reid's lips twitched as he took the cup. Tyler, Aaron and Bordy seemed to have also noticed that something was going to happen, because they had stopped playing and were also watching. Boys.

Her back still to the girl, Fayth lifted her arm and thrust it back, putting her full body's weight into it as her elbow collided with something hard. The girl shrieked and stumbled back, and when Fayth turned, she was holding her nose as a few drops of blood were dripping between her fingers. Fayth smirked. Perfect aim.

"You bitch!" the girl screamed, glaring at her.

"Stay away from my boyfriend," Fayth said calmly.

The girl shrieked again, turned, and stormed off toward the bathroom.

Shaking her head, she turned back to Reid, and felt a sudden wave of embarrassment flood her. She and Reid had never actually talked about being boyfriend/girlfriend, and neither of them had technically asked the other out. Were they just fooling around and hooking up, or were they actually in a relationship? Did she just make an ass out of herself in front of everyone?

Reid grinned. "Damn. My girlfriend is fierce."

She grinned back as relief washed through her. "I wouldn't say fierce."

"Jeez, Fayth. Bitchy much?" Aaron laughed.

Fayth smirked. "She deserved it."

The boys' expressions changed to confusion right before someone tapped Fayth's shoulder. She turned, and gasped when cold, sticky liquid was suddenly thrown in her face. She let out a shaky breath, swallowed, and blinked drops out of her eyes. The black haired girl had returned, and looked slightly triumphant with an empty soda cup in her hand. Fayth glanced down at her now sticky shirt and back up at the girl. "Did you really just throw soda on me?"

"Yup," the girl stated proudly.

Fayth nodded, quirking her lips to the side. "Well it's a good thing I have a change of clothes." She turned back to Reid and the boys, and grinned. "Feel like another game of pool?"

Reid blinked, again looking slightly confused, but shrugged. "Sure," he said slowly, and began re-racking the balls.

Fayth glanced over her shoulder, and saw the girl still standing there, looked pissed. "You've done you're little idea of revenge, now run along." The girl's face scrunched up and she again stormed off.

"You okay?" Aaron asked carefully.

Fayth shrugged. "I'm good."

"Really?" Reid asked doubtfully.

"Yup," Fayth smiled. "It's just a little soda. Nothing a shower won't fix." Reid's expression turned ponderous, and she eyed him. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking," he replied, his eyes trailing her body suggestively.

She playfully shoved him, shaking her head. "Damn horn dog." Reid laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him and gently kissing her lips.

"Alright you two, we don't need to watch a make out session," Tyler said. "Break it up, we've got a game to play."

Just under an hour later (Fayth had disappeared to the bathroom to wash up not long before), the music ended. "Everyone!" Christina said into the mic, pulling the crowd's attention to her. "Unfortunately, it's one o'clock, which means the bar is closing, and which also means we have just completed our last gig." The crowd groaned its protest. Christina smiled. "But, we have a special treat for you all. We've decided that the honors of the last song should go to a close friend. Mainly because without this friend, Hell's Angels wouldn't exist. It was her idea for me, Kyle and Ryan to start the band. She knew how much we loved music, and how we were always coming up with random lyrics and drumming out beats on anything we could find. And she even helped write some of our songs. She is the reason our music was ever heard."

Fayth's cheeks heated.

"So, we decided that she should be the one to close the night. You know her, you love her, please welcome Fayth Henderson to the stage!"

People clapped and cheered, whistled and hooted as Fayth slowly made her way to the stage, unable to stop the blush rising to her cheeks. She climbed up onto the stage and grinned at Kyle and Ryan, then at Christina, who grinned back and stepped away from the mic. Fayth moved up to the mic and looked at the crowd, her nerves buzzing uncontrollably. "Hey everyone!" The crowd cheered loudly. "Well, I'm going to give you guys a little taste of country music tonight. But don't worry, I promise you'll like it." She turned and walked toward the curtains behind the band. Just before she disappeared behind them, she snapped her fingers at the exact time Kyle hit the first beat on the drums.

She ducked behind the curtains and found Sarah and Kate already there and her red and black lace corset dress and strappy black heels at the ready. "I can't believe I let you guys talk me into this," she laughed as she stripped out of her cargos, tank and bra.

Kate laughed. "Just imagine what Reid will be thinking when he sees you in this."

Fayth blushed, making the two other girls giggle. "Okay, shut up!" She pulled on the dress, knowing her seconds back there was running out fast, and then clamored into the heels while Sarah zipped her into the dress. Thankfully, it had a low back so if she wanted, she could easily reach back and unzip it herself. Once the heels were strapped, stood in front of the girls for inspection.

They grinned and said in unison, "Perfect."

Fayth smiled, took a deep breath, and strolled through the curtains, head held high, and took the loose mic waiting for her beside Kyle. The roar of the crowd was deafening. She brought the mic to her mouth and began.

"_You better take it from me, _

_that boy is like a disease_

_You're running, you're trying, you're trying to hide_

_And you're wondering why you can't get free_

_He's like a curse; he's like a drug_

_You'll get addicted to his love_

_You wanna get out but he's holding you down_

_'Cause you can't live without one more touch!_

_He's a good time cowboy casanova_

_Leaning up against the record machine_

_Looks like a cool drink of water_

_But he's candy coated misery_

_He's the devil in disguise_

_A snake with blue eyes_

_And he only comes out at night_

_Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight_

_You better run for your life_"

She walked over the descended the steps, swinging her hips as she went, and moved onto the dance floor. People backed away, giving her room, and Sarah and Kate appeared from the throng of people, now wearing their own flowing dresses. They walked right up and fell into step with Fayth, swinging their hips with their hands waving above their heads, all three moving in the practiced steps they had created.

"_I see that look on your face_"

They turned, sashaying in place.

"_You ain't hearin' what I say_

_So I'll say it again_

_'Cause I've been where you been_

_And I know how it ends_

_You can't get away-ay-a_y

_Don't even look in his eyes_

_He'll tell you nothing but lies_

_And you wanna believe_

_But you won't be deceived _

_If you listen to me_

_And take my advice_

_He's a good time cowboy casanova_

_Leaning up against the record machine_

_Looks like a cool drink of water_

_But he's candy coated misery_

_He's the devil in disguise_

_A snake with blue eyes_

_And he only comes out at night_

_Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight_

_You better run for your life_"

Sarah and Kate moved behind Fayth, their hips brushing against her as they moved in unison.

"_Run run away_

_Don't let him mess with your mind_

_He'll tell you anything you wanna hear_

_He'll break your heart_

_It's just a matter of time_

_But just remember _

_He's a, a good time cowboy casanova_

_Leaning up against the record machine_

_Looks like a cool drink of water_

_But he's candy coated misery_

_He's the devil in disguise_

_A snake with blue eyes_

_And he only comes out at night_

_Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight_

_You better run for your life_

_Oh, you better run for your life_

_Oooh, you better run for your life!_" She raised her empty hand over her head as she held the last note, and then posed with Kate and Sarah just as the final drum beat sounded. Her chest heaved up and down from the singing, and the crowd whistled and hollered their approval. She grinned at the other two, and then together they bowed, all three being careful not to let their dresses slip up too high and reveal their butt cheeks. Fayth turned and climbed the steps up onto the stage and took Christina's outstretched hand, and they along with Kyle and Ryan, bowed to the crowd.

Chris took the mic from her. "Well, everyone, that's it! Hope you enjoyed it!" The crowd cheered in response. Chris slung her arm over Fayth's shoulders. "Have fun?"

Fayth laughed and looked out over people's heads, and found his familiar blue eyes. "I guess."


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: i'm sooo sorry for the late update!!! i hope you enjoy it! it is ver possible that this will be the last chapter, and if so, i would like to thank ALL of my readers for your love and reviews. honestly, i only kept the story going for you guys! thank you for making me finish it! :)**

While the crowd slowly filed out of the bar, Fayth hung back with the band. "I can't believe this is it," she said. "No more Hell's Angels."

"I'm sure we'll get back together in a few years, even to just play a couple songs," Kyle said with a shrug. "But damn Fayth, you killed it!"

"Hell yeah, she did," Ryan added, pounding Kyle's fist. "That had to be the best way for the band to go out."

"Guys, all I did was sing one song," Fayth laughed.

"One song that kicked complete ass," Christina put in. "Hey!" She jumped off the stage and pulled Tyler to her for a kiss. The other three boys appeared from the crowd a moment later.

Reid's eyes immediately went to Fayth and slowly trailed the length of her body, taking in the entire outfit. Fayth smiled and hopped down in front of him. "Hey."

"Hey," he said, his eyes snapping up to meet hers. He stepped closer and pulled her to him, bending to nuzzle the crook of her neck. "I think we should go back to my dorm," he whispered.

Fayth smirked and gently pushed him away. "Nah, I'm kinda beat. I think I just wanna to head home."

"Seriously?" he asked.

Fayth shrugged and glanced away, catching Christina's eye and fighting a smile. So far her plan was playing out perfectly. "Maybe I'll stop by tomorrow?"

Reid crossed his arms. "You're no fun."

Fayth laughed. "Maybe I can hang out with you for a couple hours tonight. 'Kay?"

"Whatever," Reid sighed, rolling his eyes. "But I'm going to need a cold shower," he added as he slung his arm over her shoulders.

Shaking her head, Fayth playfully elbowed him, and he feigned pain, making her laugh. After helping the band load everything into Ryan's dad's truck, Fayth and Reid followed Chris and Tyler to the Hummer.

"Am I going to have to evacuate the dorm tonight?" Tyler asked as they climbed in.

"No," Fayth answered, smiling as she tucked her other clothes beside her. Reid shot her a fake glare from the passenger seat. They pulled into Christina's driveway, and Fayth leaned over to give her friend a quick hug. After shutting the back door, Chris leaned into the driver's side window to give Tyler a quick kiss.

"I think my parents are gone for the night," she said, winking at Tyler. "Wanna come in?"

After a moment's hesitation, Tyler climbed out of the Hummer. "Don't crash my car," he called over his shoulder as Chris was pulling him up the front steps of her house.

Reid chuckled as he slid over to the driver's seat, and Fayth climbed up front. "I'll do my best!" he hollered out the window, then threw the Hummer into reverse and whipped out of the driveway. Fayth whooped and reached out to adjust the radio. When they pulled into the Spencer parking lot, Reid leaned back and found one of what must have been Tyler's long coats and handed it to her.

Fayth raised an eyebrow. "Why do I need this?"

"Because I don't want other guys seeing you in that outfit," Reid replied, already climbing out of the Hummer.

"But a bunch already saw me at the bar," she reminded him.

He looked back at her. "Yeah, I know."

Her lips twitched and a grin slowly lit her face. "You were jealous."

He scoffed. "Jealous? Yeah, right."

"You were jealous," Fayth sang.

"You coming or what?" he asked, ignoring her little taunt.

Chuckling, Fayth slipped on the coat and hopped out. When she walked around the Hummer, Reid yanked her to him and buttoned the coat. "You know, green really isn't your color." He rolled his eyes, but didn't respond. "Do you not like my outfit?"

He inhaled through his nose as they walked up the steps to the dorms. "It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"Look, you're my girlfriend. And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't go around flaunting your body in front of other guys."

Fayth blinked, and bit back a remark about how he had flirted with that brown-haired bitch at Nicky's. She didn't want to fight tonight. "I thought you'd like the performance."

"I did." He dug his keys from his pocket as they walked down the hall. "You were amazing," he added, casting her a sideways glance and giving her another head-to-toe appraisal. "And yes, you're outfit was perfect for it."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"But I still don't like that other guys got to see you that way." He unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside to let her in. He grabbed a towel and headed for the door. "I'm going to jump in the shower. Be back in a few."

As soon as door was closed, Fayth rushed to it and cracked it open to watch him until he had disappeared in the showers. Then she quietly slipped out, remembering to grab her purse and phone, and hurried down the hall. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she sneaked back down the stairs, out into the night, and dashed across the campus. Once under the cover of the building's shadows, she pulled the butter knife she'd stashed in her purse and the bobby pin and worked her magic on the locked door.

Once inside, she did her best to remember how to get to the pool. When she pushed open the door, the pool area was just like it had been the last time. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she pulled out her phone and sent Reid a quick text saying _wanna join me in the pool?;)_

Just over a minute later, her phone beeped and she flipped it open to read his response: _be there soon_.

"Okay, just relax," she whispered to herself. She dropped her things on a bench and tried to ease her nerves. This wasn't a big deal. Not. A. Big. Deal. And yet, she couldn't stop her pulse from racing. She slipped off her heels, breathed in, and waited. In less than ten minutes, the door creaked open and she turned to see Reid walking toward her. He had changed into a tee shirt and swim trunks, and had a towel slung over his shoulder. Okay, this was it. She held up her hand, and his steps slowed as he came to a stop.

"What's up?" he asked, eying her.

She licked her lips as her hands moved to the top button of the coat. "Tonight's performance wasn't just for Hell's Angels last gig," she said, watching him as she began to slowly unbutton the coat.

Reid's eyes followed her hands. "What else was it for?"

"You. In fact, the only reason I chose this outfit"– she let the coat fall from her shoulders to the floor, revealing the skimpy dress – "was because I thought you would like it." Her hands moved to her back and fiddled for the zipper.

He swallowed and took a step forward. "I do like it."

"Ah, ah, ah. No moving," she scolded playfully. "You need to stay completely still." She expected him to scoff and keep coming toward her, but he didn't. He did just as she said, and stayed completely still, his blue eyes lighting up. Her fingers closed on the zipper and slowly pulled it down. "Let me do everything this time." The little dress slipped a fraction.

He gave a jerky nod, his eyes completely focused on the newly revealed skin on her chest. She suppressed a grin. This was the real reason she had agreed to the dress and the performance. For once, she wanted the power to control him. "Don't move unless I tell you to. Okay?" Again he nodded. Now they just had to hope that a security guard wouldn't decide to come by and check out the pool area.

She shimmied out of the dress, loving how his eyes followed the dress down to the floor, and then slowly moved back up. She stepped out of the dress and walked over to him, forcing away any thoughts of how she could mess this up. His hands clenched into fists, and she knew he was trying extremely hard to resist reaching out to touch her. He was letting her do this, and she was glad.

She pulled the towel off his shoulder, and leaned up and kissed his neck, pressing her naked body against him. He swallowed again and took a deep breath, but kept his hands to himself. Her hands dropped to his waist and slid up under his shirt, trailing over his lean stomach before taking hold of the shirt and pulling it up. He raised his arms so that she could completely remove the shirt, and then let them fall back to his sides as she tossed the shirt away. She kissed his chest and moved around behind him, kissing a trail to his back. His muscles tensed as she pressed herself against him again, allowing him to really feel her bare breasts, and then let her hands slip under his arms and wander around to his front. Her nails gently scraped his skin as they trailed down to the waistband of his shorts, and he let out a low groan.

Taking a deep breath, she skipped her fingers between his shorts and body and pulled them down his legs, silently thankful that men's swim trunks didn't require them to wear boxers. "Step out of them," she ordered, and he obeyed. She tossed the shorts out of the way and crouched by his side and kissed a tantalizingly slow path from his hip to his front, and then up his stomach to his chest, then to his throat. She pulled back to look at him. "Remember, no touching. No moving at all."

His hungry eyes didn't waver from her gaze and he stayed perfectly still, showing that he understood.

"Close your eyes."

He did as he was told.

Her hand gently traced a path down, and her fingers stroked his erection, drawing another groan from him. His arms jerked as if trying to reach for her, but he managed to keep them at his sides. Fayth smiled and kissed his neck as her hand began a slow, stroking rhythm along his member. He inhaled shakily, and she could sense his self-restraint faltering.

And then he snapped. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him, his lips crashing against hers in a fast and hungry kiss. The butterflies returned full-force. She pulled away and stepped back, wagging her finger at him. "Ah, ah. You were supposed to stay still."

His chest heaved up and down as he breathed. "I couldn't resist any longer."

She smiled and stepped closer. "Don't move again until I say so."

His jaw clenched in response, and he kept perfectly still. Instead of closing the distance between them like he probably thought she would, she walked backwards toward the wall, her eyes never leaving his. When her back touched the cool wall, she stopped and tilted her head to the side. She flashed him another smile. "Alright. Do what you want."

He didn't need telling twice. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of her, shoving her against the wall as his lips again crashed against hers. His hands roamed all over her bare skin, cupping her breasts briefly, before dropping to her hips. He pressed himself against her and slipped his hands beneath her ass cheeks, and then lifted her up. Her legs hooked around his waist as he held her above his erection. His mouth left hers to kiss her neck, and she leaned back to give him full access to her entire upper body.

"I love you," he said huskily, capturing her gaze with bright blue eyes.

She smiled, pleased that for once, she had had power over him, even if it was for a short time. "I love you, too."


	29. Author's Note :)

Hi everyone!

I know I've been MIA for a while, and I apologize. But I have an excellent reason why and some great news I'd like to share!

I recently submitted a book I have been working on to an author's contest in January and won! I'm going to be published this spring! It will be available in paperback format and e-book format. I'm sure it is something many of you would enjoy - it's about a witch who must protect her loved ones from a demon that is determined to destory the witch's bloodline.

Because you have all been such loyal readers, I wanted to share my book's facebook page. LIKE it to stay updated on details and the release date.

I'm also listing the book's webpage on Deep Sea Publishing's website so you can learn more about it :)

FF won't let me post the links, so Private Message me and I'll send them to you!

Don't be shy, check it out!

The Gallivan Legacy is coming soon!


	30. Author's Note 2 - EXCITING NEWS

My book is NOW AVAILABLE!

You can buy a limited number of signed, numbered copies, as well as normal paperback and ebook, from Deep Sea Publishing's website, and you can also buy paperback and ebook formats on Amazon's website!

The links are on The Gallivan Legacy FB page – simply go to facebook and type The Gallivan Legacy into the search bar – it should be the only book page with that title :)

If you want direct links to the Amazon and Deep Sea Publishing webpages then PM me!

Don't be shy, check it out :)

The Gallivan Legacy is Now Available!


	31. Author Note - don't be shy :)

Hey guys!

Okay, I know you might be a little annoyed that I keep posting about my book. I'm sorry. I merely want to keep you all in the loop :) You've been so great over the years, I just want to share this experience with you!

In case anyone is interested, you can now follow my book The Gallivan Legacy on Twitter. Simply look for GallivanLegacy and click that pretty follow button :)

I'll be hosting contests and giveaways on Twitter and Facebook in the near future, so don't miss out!

Thank you again to all my loyal readers! Your support is greatly appreciated! And don't worry, you haven't heard the last of me. I have a few FF story ideas that may be posted soon.

Don't be shy, check out the Twitter and Facebook pages! :)


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